Scientists at Cambridge University have found that anti-social behaviour, especially amongst youth, could be caused by a type of chemical imbalance in the brain and the body. In other words, the article states that youth are not responsible for their behaviour; it’s their brains fault.

I am sure that the scientists have done a much better job than the journalist reporting the finding. After all, there is nothing new about the fact that every behaviour or emotion stems from some process in the brain. Scientifically we are now discovering what these processes are, not that they exist.

A generation ago, the same chemicals were also affecting youths’ brains, and yet, there was far less anti-social behaviour. We, human, can control our brains, and we are responsible for our own behaviour, regardless of our chemicals. These scientific findings should provide no excuse, in all but the most extreme situations.

Blaming our brains for our behaviour is a path we must not take. As soon as we blame physiology for our behaviour, we will be able to justify discrimination based on the same criteria. It’s been a long and hard journey to allow judging people by what they do, rather than by their background and physiology. Do we really want to reverse this great achievement?