I think evil is acquired. According to Piaget, it takes a bit in order of us to understand cause and effect (i.e. if I hit this person, they will feel pain). I have yet to see an evil baby who deliberately inflicts pain.
I remember when I was little I invented a game called "slave and master" in which I was the master. Problem was, though I understood that being subjugated was bad at some level, I didn't understand many other evils of human nature. The only slave was the one black girl in school! I got a lecture on racism, but it was the first time I had ever heard it before. I was not intentionally being racist. Therefore, adults teach you many evils that children would otherwise not be able to comprehend or think of.
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