Aligment: Is Evil inborn

[Luce]

Hello fellows,
I happened to the following article:
"Born to be bad"

"If some children seem like they were born to be bad, new research suggests it may be true.
...
The new findings suggest it's more a matter of genes. That is, parents who are naturally argumentative pass on these traits to their kids."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17029258/wid/11915773?GT1=9033

SO, It might appear that there is some truth into the old maxim that some people [ and D&D races] are inheriting evil.
The Paladins can start celebrating. Now they can stop hogoblin babies to their hearts content. Joke

Seriously though, what you people think?

 

[WhimsyTheFae]

I can agree with some of this. I think that people have the ability to overcome their natural tendencies, but it isn't easy.

Relating this to gaming, this may be like the 1 in 1000 (choose the ratio that works best for your game) hobgoblin that is not evil. If I am going for a more black-and-white game, then I would have it be very difficult for nonhumans to change their natural tendencies (humans are wired to be more adaptive, which is why they are more able to change). In a shades-of-gray game, nonhumans are more likely to change their tendencies (I still wouldn't put them on par with humans as far as being adaptive).

In the end, as far as the game is concerned, it is up to the individual DM to decide. I am fine with genetic evil.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

As long as they don't have solid proof for that, I'm calling .

I know that I, for one, was born a really nice person - I had to make the very conscious choice to become evil

 

[Nifft]

"If some children seem like they were born to be bad, new research suggests it may be true.
...
The new findings suggest it's more a matter of genes. That is, parents who are naturally argumentative pass on these traits to their kids."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17029258/wid/11915773?GT1=9033

"Hey, look, Earth is getting overcrowded again."

"Well we can't have that. How can we excuse genocide this time?"

"How about... by merit?"

"That's novel. Okay, you have a go."

, -- N

 

[Umbran]

Seriously though, what you people think?

I think equating skipping school and shoplifing to "evil" is a long, long stretch. I think those are far mroe connected to Law and Chaos than Good and Evil. Much of the "bad" behavior of teens is about boundaries, not about hurting people.

 

[Shadowslayer]

Ehhh...I don't think you can comapare real-world evil to D&D evil. I have no problem with D&D evil. Evil is evil and that's that.

Long ago, Orcs were spawned by dark gods to in order wreak havoc upon the realm. (Fortunately the gods of order and good have people to keep them in check.)

In my own games, these things are fact, not just mythology. So inbred evil is OK with me.

Real world evil is a whole other ball of wax completely. I believe people have varying degrees of "having a conscience" Those with little or no conscience tend towards evil. Sometimes this lack of a conscience comes from a chemical imbalance, sometimes from trauma, and sometimes from environment/upbringing.

If you wanted to apply that to D&D, its totally possible. But you open up the door to way more pholosophical debate than I enjoy having, so I keep things fairly black and white. It IS just a game...and I try to keep that at the forefront.

 

[thedungeondelver]

In my campaign, for most creatures (read: humanoids) yeah, evil is inborn. Hextor and other evil gods are responsible for the creation of evil humanoids (save Drow, but that's another story). Their gods didn't create them with free will. Evil from the get go. Little kobold kids won't "get better". To kobolds, evil is a thing to be desired.

Whenever anyone asks me to describe how that works I like to mention a story from THE DYING EARTH where a wizard/biologist creates a woman who is essentially chaotic evil (although he does so acidentally). She can't understand anything else. Beauty, freedom, kindness, love - all of these things make her sick and are utterly repellent to her. It takes the intervention of a minor deity to change her. I guess if someone wanted to expend a wish and make an individual creature change alignment, I might permit that. Heck that'd be a very worthy thing for a paladin to do - "Hear me O Pholtus! Let these young creatures see the light of wisdom and kindness and turn their hearts to good deeds!" *poof*

Generally creatures with free will can actively change alignments per the PLAYER'S HANDBOOK (with all associated penalties).

EDIT: I would also mention that it's just a game. I no more expect alignments and real world situations to mesh than I would expect the US Army to be studying how to enable someone to cast fireball for real.

 

[SpiderMonkey]

"Hey, look, Earth is getting overcrowded again."

"Well we can't have that. How can we excuse genocide this time?"

"How about... by merit?"

"That's novel. Okay, you have a go."

, -- N

Yup. I think the whole "nature vs. nurture" thing is something of a false dichotomy in that it completely ignores free will and rationality. For example, I might come from a long line of alchololics and misfits, be brought up among them, but still use my innate capacity for reason (the only truly inherent human quality, imo) to overcome this.

I feel that we are who we choose to be, which is why I like Eberron's approach to alignment (though I'm admittedly not a huge fan of the rest of it).

 

[jinx crossbow]

Seriously though, what you people think?

Damn, he said seriously.

I have it with Schopenhauer's "On the Freedom of the Will"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Freedom_of_the_Will

There might be some reasons that your thought are bad -
by genbes or education - but the ars wielding the sword
can be stoped by your mind.
I also have bad bad thought, but I don't act bad because
i decided not to do so.

Jinx

 

[JustKim]

The media hurts the public's understanding of genetics by carrying these sensationalist hypotheses and never following up on them when they turn out to be unsubstantiated.