"Honey, there are some really bad people in the world." This is the warning we routinely gave to our daughter as we instructed her not to respond to the initiatives of strangers. And it is surely the advice that parents everywhere give to their children. In the academic world, however, such advice is considered "simplistic." Many sociologists like to emphasize that human behavior cannot be reduced to categories of "good" and "evil." Why, then, do people do horrible things? Our Solomonic scholars inform us it is because something else made them do it. For years the fashionable opinion was that "society made them do it." Now the fashionable view is that "genes made them do it."
Let's examine these theories in light of the Connecticut murders. Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes had a history of burglary: each of them had more than 20 prior burglaries on their records. Even if we assume that they were stealing out of necessity--a stretched assumption--that does not even begin to explain their actions in this case. They beat the mother, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, with a baseball bat and threw her down the stairs. Then they raped and strangled her. They tied the two daughters, Hayley and Michaela, to their beds, raped them, and then poured gasoline around them and burned them to death. The father remains hospitalized with head injuries. None of this extreme violence seems explicable on the grounds that the the two suspects needed to steal.
It seems equally absurd to say that genes made them do it. No one denies that our actions are influenced by our genes, but can any reasonable person maintain that humans don't have some degree of free will? Yes, there are reasonable people who say that, such as biologist E.O. Wilson and philosopher Daniel Dennett. According to these wise men, all our actions have biological causes and free will is an illusion. But if this is so, then all of morality is an illusion. Whenever we say to someone, "You should do this" or "You shouldn't do that," we presume that he has a choice in the matter. Ought implies can. However screwed up the murderers might have been, can anyone deny that they chose to do what they did, and consequently that they should be held responsible for their actions?
If neither society nor genes made them do it, what did? The third possibility is that they did it because they are evil. This option, so easily scorned by sophisticates, is actually the clearest and most satisfying description of the facts before us. This was an evil act, and it was done by some really bad people. Evil inspires indignation, and this indignation is not a mere emotional response but reflects a rational comprehension of the horror that has been perpetrated. The instinct that says "Give them the death penalty" is more than a call for vengeance; it is also a call for justice. We do not have the right to forgive crimes perpetrated against other people, only those perpetrated against ourselves. It is time to hold the bad guys responsible. I hope that Connecticut hasn't unplugged its electric chair.
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 3)
16. Reaching almost the age of seventy and having read or seen on TV so many of these uncomprehensible and inhuman acts of what some do to others, it's so easy to say they're crazy.But this is not true or always the case,as I`ve come to the belief ( most of you will scoff at me)that they have so willingly embraced evil that they become possessed by a demon of evil.How else can we explain the evil acts as by that man,who set out to destroy those little innocent Amish children not long ago? Did not Jesus remove, many times, unclean spirits from individuals?
Peter Comaskey
Peter Comaskey at 5:17PM on Jul 27th 2007
17. Genes have nothing to do with something like this. There is no genetic imperative to take yourself out of society and thus out of the gene pool (these men knew they would be caught - the woman went into the bank and the police were alerted) - these guys never expected to get away. This was a spree crime. I suspect that the draconian justice system that would keep them living as low level janitors for life made them think "what have we got to lose?" and resentful of upperclass people who made all the right choices. This does NOT excuse their awful crimes but if it is genetics the message was to place themselves OUT of the gene pool which doesn't make sense.
john at 6:58PM on Jul 26th 2007
18. Either way, free will or genes-determined-behaviour, you fry these two guys. Or you tie them to a bed, pour gasoline around them and set them alight..
If you chose to do this evil, society executes you, partially to prevent further evil and partially as justice. If your genes made you perform this evil act, then society executes you because your genes cannot be altered, either that or a lobotomy is performed to prevent any sort of future planning on your part, and thereby protect society. There are many explanations for evil, but justice demands execution. God is merciful, but the state cannot be.
Fred at 4:12PM on Jul 30th 2007
19. fill em with lead, then pray for their souls.
let the theorists work on the societal end of it later.
Mikey (English PhD)
michael white at 7:10PM on Jul 26th 2007
20. The whole "genes made them do it" argument only goes so far. Yes, some studies on brain activity for serial killers was different from a normal brain. There were some instances where there was barely a difference though. Some people are just plain evil and are aware of what they do. Some even express they enjoy it. This sends a chill down my spine. If someone does an evil deed then they should be treated like they are evil. No free pass of life in prison on my tax money. I will gladly pay out of my pocket for the death sentence. And for all you bleeding heart liberals who think that these evil people have "rights" and "feelings" too........ my opinion is that you should get to spend a week in the cell as a personal roommate with them. That is if you last that long.
E at 7:28PM on Jul 26th 2007
21. The problem is the ignorant media telling everyone that genes "control" our behavior, which is completely untrue. A gene is a segment of DNA that contains information, but not every gene is expressed. A brilliant article in Newsweek a couple weeks ago talked about how the brain is not as hard wired as we originally thought, but rather can change and is influenced by our environment. Likewise, certain genes will only express themselves in certain conditions, but not all the time.
On another note, people are not born evil, but learn to do bad things. It is not a secret that those who commit horrific crimes do not exactly grow up in a loving, positive environment. Many who molest children have been molested themselves, many who abuse spouses have witnessed a parent being abused, etc. A well known hit man called the Ice Man was interviewed on tv by a psychiatrist, who explained to him how his very violent childhood contributed to his life of murder. It doesn't excuse them, it just helps us understand their actions.
Jane at 7:30PM on Jul 26th 2007
22. I'd like to add that in a lot of places, those guys would never have made it to the station alive--and that scenario would've been best here, too. Sorry if that's an unChristian sentiment. Those guys are eating up our tax dollars every minute of the rest of their lives, which typically might be a number of years.
michael white at 7:32PM on Jul 26th 2007
23. When a person or persons commit murder,the victim, or victims,are denied judge,jury,or appeal.They are granted only the executioner.Society then grants the executioner the very rights denied to the victim(s).If the executioner is sentenced to execution,what sane person can find fault with that?
bob at 7:44PM on Jul 26th 2007
24. Predictably, you miss the point. What, bright lad, is "evil"? Obviously, killing a family for no reason is evil. Are the US soldiers in Iraq evil when they do the same thing---when they rape, murder and kill those who have not attacked them? Ask some Iraqis; I bet their perspective would astound you. And while you rail against their perspective and defend your own, you too would be an apologist for evil. Someone ought to ask these people why they killed this family. Bet you they get a response that goes something like; "It just got out of hand."
Alex Hamilton at 7:46PM on Jul 26th 2007
25. I believe that the two men are just plain evil. I hope I'm wrong but, for some reason I think the father is involved.
LuciLiu2 at 8:06PM on Jul 26th 2007
26. I believe that we choose to follow inner light or inner darkness. Our choices are made by our own free will. The more correct choices we make that are good, then the closer we get to the inner light (GOD, ALLAH, JEHOVAH....whatever you like to call the creator of all things). The wrong choices cause darkness and more wrong choices cause more darkness. The creator of the universe (a belief of mine) created certain physical and spiritual laws for us to follow and when we don't, he allows us to go down our own wayward path. We get closer to darkness (Christians call this a spiritual being, the devil). And darkness eventually destroys. I once heard a pastor talk about sin (missing the mark). He told a story of a wolf that came upon a knife buried with the handle in the ground. The knife was covered with frozen blood. The wolf licked and licked to his delight, only to find the more he licked the more blood he encountered. The wolf did not realize that his tongue has become numb due to the cold and he did not realize the knife was cutting his tongue to shreds. It did not take long for the wolf to die from lack of blood. So it is with wrong choices. After a while, you become unaware and desensitized. The farther you get away from the light, your conscious becomes numb and it unable to distinguish between good and evil. And here we have two men destroying a family and their own lives. They might not have ever had any light, but whatever light they had was obviously extenguished by their life choices. It was their choice, their own free will in play. Take the genetics angle and throw it in the garbage and all of the other explanations too. That's what is wrong with our society I am afraid. Let's always blame something else, rather than the person doing it.
Kemal Sanli at 8:22PM on Jul 26th 2007
27. I struggle with the idea of the death penalty except in cases like this, where the perpetrators are caught and there is no doubt. To enter someone's home without provocation, to destroy innocent life so horrifically, has no excuse that any court should find justified. We need to stand up for the victims! Why do we waste so much money and time on cases like this? These men, and criminals like them, should be immediately be put down like rabid animals- not locked away to become a drain on our system. Then their bodies can be used by medical students. At least that way they will be able to make some small contribution to society. This planet, in its state of overpopulation and environmental concerns, just doesn't have room for predators such as these animals.
Lori at 8:34PM on Jul 26th 2007
28. Anyone who has had any life expreience in the real world doesn't need a Stanford Fellow to tell them that real evil is out there.
Grisha at 9:08PM on Jul 26th 2007
29. THERE IS MOST DEFINITELY EVIL IN THIS WORLD AND THERE ALWAYS HAS BEEN. THESE PEOPLE must pay their debt to society.......I say lock them up and throw the key away, or better yet save my taxpayers monies and do away with them!!!
irma F at 9:09PM on Jul 26th 2007
30. Mr. D'Souza is making 'mistakes' all over the place here.
He says, "According to these wise men, all our actions have biological causes..."
NOT TRUE. 'Environment is a huge contributor to our 'fates'. Nobody can deny this... but DD CAN ignore it for his own ends.
Anyone tending towards 'evil' would be empowered by teaming up with others with the same tendency... isn't that simply obvious?
Have you ever been dared to do something? I'll bet you it was a 'bad' thing that you were dared to do!!
For all of you that think as freely as DD, I dare you to really examine the notion that you are not thinking freely at all... your mind is made up.
DD seems to be saying that the 'free will' way to imagine free will itself is to think like him... like he thought yesterday... like he thought as far back as he can remember first considering the subject of free will ... and the reason that he first came to believe in it.
These two horrible boys met by fate and egged each other on... each individual horrible boy was influenced by his environment, the other horrible boy.
If you are like DD, you are probably thinking,
"Nice try, but no dice!!" ... but... examine your motives for this way of thinking... if you think that you CAN!!!
I think that the boys have stepped over the line... they should be imprisoned for life. They probably won't care if they are condemned to death.. and they DEFINITELY won't care after execution.
To put that another way... society is not at liberty to forgive these boys for these heinous acts... society has no real 'free will' in this matter.. just a choice ... but the members of society who's choice it will finally be have already made up their minds...no?
pboyfloyd at 9:10PM on Jul 26th 2007