Originally Posted by Mutt

In the excitement over neuroscience's recent discoveries I think that the effect of one's environment is being minimized. If from the time I was a child I saw incestuous relationships around me, it was accepted, when you would suggest I have sex with a sister I wouldn't have any feelings of disgust.

Prior to the 1930's if you studied the young male population of Germany you wouldn't find an unusual high degree of violent psychopaths, all it took was a charismatic political leader to turn normal young men into sadistic psychopaths.

Morality is very strongly mediated by our environment. When a 3 year old hits another child over the head with a garden tool lying on the ground and his victim cries you see concern/confusion on his face, if there were a group of adults around watching the scene and they started laughing and cheering in approval that kid would continue hurting other kids and animals.