What, exactly, is evil?

[quarky]

cruelty

 

[gdnp]

An action is evil when the instigator takes pleasure in the harm caused and the suffering of the victims.

So if I exterminate Africans, Jews, Aborigines, or Native Americans because I consider them sub-human, it is only evil if I take pleasure when I do it? I think indifference is equally evil. Machinegunning a bunch of innocent kids is evil even if you cry when you do it.

 

[SaulOhio]

This relates to the "lesser of two evils" thought. If one chooses to do harm to do others in a utilitarian sense, when the alternative is "more evil," it qualifies as evil under that premise. For a thought experiment, if one were to hop into a time machine and kill Hitler when he was born, you possibly could have saved many others from harm. Yet it would qualify as "evil" since you are doing harm to another.

I notice that it is very hard to come up with examples for that kind of thing without dreaming up science fiction scenarios. We need to figure out what is moral or not by observing the consequences of people's actions in reality.

On a side note, I don't think eliminating Hitler would have prevented a totalitarian dictatorship from coming to power in Germany. It was a cultural phenomenom, a consequence of philosophical ideas people came to accept, ideas to which Hitler didn't add much. The idea of perfecting and reshaping society by eliminating certain groups of people was very popular at the time.

The whole problem with the ends justifies the means arguments is that evil means never seem to accomplish the stated good ends. I think it was the Soviets who coined the expression that you can't make an omlette without breaking eggs. The problem is, as some historians of Soviet attrocities have pointed out, that nobody ever got to enjoy that omlette.

I guess I think that your definition shouldn't be so cut and dry. Many things viewed as virtuous acts have bad consequences or harm to others; be they direct or indirect.

Then maybe such acts aren't quite so virtuous. See what I said about that expression about the road to hell.

 

[Hokulele]

So if I exterminate Africans, Jews, Aborigines, or Native Americans because I consider them sub-human, it is only evil if I take pleasure when I do it? I think indifference is equally evil. Machinegunning a bunch of innocent kids is evil even if you cry when you do it.

The problem with both of these scenarios is that they are highly unrealistic when dealing the topic at hand. One can consider other people sub-human without exterminating them. What exactly would trigger someone to go from indifference to active extermination?

Any scenario involving a crying machine-gun operator would most likely involve factors such as mental issues that would likely absolve them from being called "evil".

 

[ksbluesfan]

Michael Shermer discusses evil in great detail in "The Science of Good and Evil". In short, he believes there is no such thing as an evil force. Actions are either good or bad, but no person is 100% good or 100% evil. I think I remember that correctly. If not, I apologize to Dr. Shermer.

 

[gdnp]

The problem with both of these scenarios is that they are highly unrealistic when dealing the topic at hand. One can consider other people sub-human without exterminating them. What exactly would trigger someone to go from indifference to active extermination?

They are trespassing on land that I want to farm. So what if they were here first? They are just savages. God wants me to have it. It's nothing personal. Just like killing mosquitoes or rats. They are in my way.

Any scenario involving a crying machine-gun operator would most likely involve factors such as mental issues that would likely absolve them from being called "evil".

"Those poor children: they look so cute, but they will just grow up to be blasphemous heathens like their evil parents. It's better to kill then now while they are innocent so they can go to heaven". Or that's what the Colonel says, and orders are orders, and I may get demoted if I don't comply.

 

[noch1Narr]

To me the terms 'evil' 'bad' are practically interchangeable; they are subjective terms.
To me doing something evil/bad is to intentionally cause suffering or death to another sentient being, except when I have to do it in self-defense. I would unhesitatingly (at least try to) cause serious harm to a human attacker or to a seemingly vicious dog apparently bent on attacking me. I would kill a mosquito trying to suck my blood or a black widow even if the latter were not attacking me and not feel I'd be doing something evil to either creature. Lots of possibilities to take issue with what I said, I realize that.
I remember seeing a film clip once of the late Saddam Hussein reading off a list of names of people he wanted executed; the poor buggers were dragged out of the room kicking & screaming (knowing their certain fate) and Saddam had tears streaming down his cheeks. Despite his tears, what that bastard did was evil!

 

[jimmygun]

Acts that are intended to be selfish and/or unjust, harmful to others

I believe all humans have flaws, so a good person can do an evil deed and a evil person can do a good deed.

An evil person in my eyes is somebody who does many evil acts, a good person is somebody who tries to do none at all.

Just out of curiosity, what is evil about selfishness?

Evil is the opposite of moral. There is no moral so the opposite of nothing is nothing.

 

[Hokulele]

They are trespassing on land that I want to farm. So what if they were here first? They are just savages. God wants me to have it. It's nothing personal. Just like killing mosquitoes or rats. They are in my way.

I would consider this to be more amoral than evil.

"Those poor children: they look so cute, but they will just grow up to be blasphemous heathens like their evil parents. It's better to kill then now while they are innocent so they can go to heaven". Or that's what the Colonel says, and orders are orders, and I may get demoted if I don't comply.

And that goes back to my point. In my opinion these actions for these reasons are not evil. Bad, regrettable, reprehensible, distasteful, or psychotic, but not evil.

 

[Piscivore]

An action is evil when the instigator takes pleasure in the harm caused and the suffering of the victims.

What about when the instigator is the victim, and the one enjoying the subsequent harm and suffering is just a spectator?

Especially if the instigator intended to harm someone else, but it turned back on himself. Is it evil to enjoy watching someone getting hoisted on their own petard?

Like, a lot?

 

[gdnp]

To me the terms 'evil' 'bad' are practically interchangeable; they are subjective terms.

Perhaps when it comes to human actions, but as I posted earlier, I do not think man-eating lions and hurricanes are evil even though they may lead to bad outcomes. To me, evil implies a sentient actor, who can or should know better.

 

[Hokulele]

What about when the instigator is the victim, and the one enjoying the subsequent harm and suffering is just a spectator?

Especially if the instigator intended to harm someone else, but it turned back on himself. Is it evil to enjoy watching someone getting hoisted on their own petard?

Like, a lot?

The original intended action is evil, the enjoyment of the resulting spectacle is not.

(Unless the spectator arranged for everything in advance, in which case it falls under the MdeC's category of prank and is evil. Yet still enjoyable.)

 

[Macoy]

"Evil" is a religious word which really means lack of empathy.

 

[noch1Narr]

Thank you, gdnp, I agree, I meant to- but didn't- specify that an evil act can only be committed by a human actor, not by any other sentient being. Would it be allright to then give that 'human' the designation of 'sub-human'?

 

[BeAChooser]

Dennis Prager has a lot to say about evil. Here are just some selections:

http://dennisprager.townhall.com/ta...tentGuid=cc0e8858-f198-4aa9-8e0d-759b670722b1

Dennis On Ingrid Betancourt And The Modern Day Left's Naivete On Understanding Evil.

http://townhall.com/Columnists/Denn...s_naive_berlin_speech?page=full&comments=true

Obama's Naive Berlin Speech
by Dennis Prager

To better understand Sen. Barack Obama, his speech before 200,000 Germans in Berlin is one good place to start. As we shall see, however, it does not leave one secure as to the senator's understanding of history, of America's role in the world, and what to do about evil, among other important issues.

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/dennis_prager.html

Although images of perfection in people's personal lives can cause unhappiness, images of perfect societies - utopian images - can cause monstrous evil. In fact, forcefully changing society to conform to societal images was the greatest cause of evil in the twentieth century.
Dennis Prager

... snip ...

If your religion doesn't teach you the difference between good and evil, your religion is worse than useless.
Dennis Prager

http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=72781

Dennis Prager
If there is no God

... snip ...

1 Without God, there is no good and evil; there are only subjective opinions that we then label "good" and "evil." This does not mean that an atheist cannot be a good person. Nor does it mean that all those who believe in God are good; there are good atheists and there are bad believers in God. It simply means that unless there is a moral authority that transcends humans from which emanates an objective right and wrong, "right" and "wrong" no more objectively exist than do "beautiful" and "ugly."

 

[Mark Felt]

So we should all take up Christianity because it would make everything so much easier?

LAAAAAAAAAME

 

[ServiceSoon]

Perhaps when it comes to human actions, but as I posted earlier, I do not think man-eating lions and hurricanes are evil even though they may lead to bad outcomes. To me, evil implies a sentient actor, who can or should know better.

Sounds to me like you are saying evil is what is morally wrong.

 

[gdnp]

So we should all take up Christianity because it would make everything so much easier?

LAAAAAAAAAME

Agreed. What good is a moral absolute if no one can agree on what it is anyway?

Many things I consider evil have been done in the name of the Christian church. And Christianity is not unique in this regard.

But don't listen to me. I wear clothing of mixed fibers, so I am evil.

 

[DanishDynamite]

I did a forum search on this, but I didn't see this topic addressed.

Basically I'm asking myself this question simply because of a discussion I had with my co-workers. One of them said that "if someone doesn't say 'thank you' when you open a door for them, then they are evil!" Of course, that made me laugh out loud, and I wanted to ask her what is evil?

I didn't ask because it made me actually stop and think:

What, exactly, is evil?

I mean is evil what we do to each other or is it a person or a personality?

Personally, I think that a person without remorse, like a serial killer, is evil and I think that hypocrisy is a big evil.

Now people in general do evil things, may even act what might be generally called "evil", but I do not believe that are people are generally evil. Sure, there's a lot of people who are misguided, ill mannered, uninformed, stubborn, etc, but I don't think these are "evil" traits.

I'm still working it all out for myself, and wanting to hear other opinions on this.

So to you, what, exactly, is evil?


ETA: Well, maybe known hypocrisy is evil. It just occurred to me that there are people who do things that can be considered hypocritical, but don't realize it.

Evil doesn't exist. Obviously. ¨

It has never existed and never will.

 

[JFrankA]

Evil doesn't exist. Obviously. ¨

It has never existed and never will.

Okay, just to play "Devil's advocate" (yes, pun intended!! ) here on this statement, if there is no "evil", does that mean that there is no "good"?

Or is "good" just the same thing as "evil" only perceived as more accepted and enjoyed by the majority of people? And by the same token, is "evil" is just the same thing as "good" only perceived as less accepted and more rejected by the majority of people?

...am I making sense????