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Sadistic cruelty and unempathic evil: Psychobiological and evolutionary considerations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 August 2006

Dan J. Stein*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town7925, South Africa

Abstract:

Understanding the origins of evil behaviour is one of our most important intellectual tasks. A distinction can perhaps be drawn between overt sadistic cruelty and the lack of empathy to suffering that is a hallmark of evil. There is increasing data available on the prevalence, proximal psychobiological underpinnings, and distal evolutionary basis for these contrasting phenomena.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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