Thread: What is the nature of evil?

The third-century Egyptian philosopher, Plotinus, found evil in absence. The insight of Plotinus has special resonance after the events of September 11, 2001. Writing in The New Republic, Paul Berman had this to say: "In the skyline now, there is an empty space where the twin towers used to be. I gaze out my study window, where I am used to seeing the towers, and I can hardly believe what I see. I see nothing. Smoke and sky. It is the symbol of absolute evil."
evilhome

"Jewish theologian Martin Buber considered the nature of evil in his classic work, Good and Evil. Buber argued that evil is not, as it is commonly understood, the opposite of good: "It is usual to think of good and evil as two poles, two opposite directions, the antithesis of one another...We must begin by doing away with this convention." Buber argued that whereas good comes from a dedication to walking the moral path, one falls into evil through an absence of attention. One must work to be good, but one happens to be evil."
evilhome

Hannah Arendt, in her often-quoted account of the trial of Nazi Adolf Eichmann, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, wrote: "The deeds were monstrous, but the doer was quite ordinary, commonplace, and neither demonic or monstrous." Arendt concluded that Eichmann, far from having the desire to prove a villain, sent thousands to their deaths merely because of "a lack of imagination." His only motive was personal advancement: "he never realized what he was doing." Arendt wondered whether "the activity of thinking as such, the habit of examining and reflecting upon whatever happens to come to pass, regardless of the specific content and quite independent of results...could 'condition' men against evildoing."
evilhome

On another thread we are discussing the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech. There is no doubt that the act itself is criminal and monstrous. The question remains- was the shooter evil? Was he disturbed? Are the two terms mutually exclusive? What is the nature of evil, is it possible to be evil without the mental capacity to form intent? Can you be evil if you have no free will?

Originally Posted by johnlocke

Can you be evil if you have no free will?

That sounds dangerously close to religious talk...:scared:

Seriously, I would like to know if the atheistic secularists believe in evil?

Originally Posted by conservative

That sounds dangerously close to religious talk...:scared:

Seriously, I would like to know if the atheistic secularists believe in evil?

Interesting thought- is evil a matter of religion, philosophy, both, or neither?

I suspect Religionists beleive in it...Atheists don't?

Originally Posted by conservative

I suspect Religionists beleive in it...Atheists don't?

If it's not inherently religious in nature, why would they disbelieve?

Which leads to still more questions: Is man inherently good, inherently evil, neither, or both? If evil exists does that mean that good also must exist?

This Cho guy was making hit lists in the eighth grade. To say there is no evil is to not live in the real world. The simple definition of evil is "morally reprehensible". I heard on the news of a woman putting her baby in a microwave. If that's not morally reprehensible I don't know what is.

Hedonism and mental problems both cause crime. Only the first is evil.

Any rational person will tell you that there is NO such thing as evil. Should you classify a murderer an 'evil' person... what do you classify a Lion Pride hunting an elephant? It's simply our social norms and laws.. that define such powerful terms. In fact, there is no such thing as fair, unfair, good or evil.

Originally Posted by Desidude666

Any rational person will tell you that there is NO such thing as evil. Should you classify a murderer an 'evil' person... what do you classify a Lion Pride hunting an elephant? It's simply our social norms and laws.. that define such powerful terms. In fact, there is no such thing as fair, unfair, good or evil.

Is the world inherently rational or irrational?

Lions prey on elephants for food and as a natural part of the predator-prey relationship. Just as a shark attacking a person isn't evil, a lion attacking an elephant isn't evil.

Originally Posted by johnlocke

The third-century Egyptian philosopher, Plotinus, found evil in absence. The insight of Plotinus has special resonance after the events of September 11, 2001. Writing in The New Republic, Paul Berman had this to say: "In the skyline now, there is an empty space where the twin towers used to be. I gaze out my study window, where I am used to seeing the towers, and I can hardly believe what I see. I see nothing. Smoke and sky. It is the symbol of absolute evil."
evilhome

"Jewish theologian Martin Buber considered the nature of evil in his classic work, Good and Evil. Buber argued that evil is not, as it is commonly understood, the opposite of good: "It is usual to think of good and evil as two poles, two opposite directions, the antithesis of one another...We must begin by doing away with this convention." Buber argued that whereas good comes from a dedication to walking the moral path, one falls into evil through an absence of attention. One must work to be good, but one happens to be evil."
evilhome

Hannah Arendt, in her often-quoted account of the trial of Nazi Adolf Eichmann, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, wrote: "The deeds were monstrous, but the doer was quite ordinary, commonplace, and neither demonic or monstrous." Arendt concluded that Eichmann, far from having the desire to prove a villain, sent thousands to their deaths merely because of "a lack of imagination." His only motive was personal advancement: "he never realized what he was doing." Arendt wondered whether "the activity of thinking as such, the habit of examining and reflecting upon whatever happens to come to pass, regardless of the specific content and quite independent of results...could 'condition' men against evildoing."
evilhome

On another thread we are discussing the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech. There is no doubt that the act itself is criminal and monstrous. The question remains- was the shooter evil? Was he disturbed? Are the two terms mutually exclusive? What is the nature of evil, is it possible to be evil without the mental capacity to form intent? Can you be evil if you have no free will?

Obviously, everything has to be put into a context. There are certain areas of life that are unquestionangly good; and certain ones that are unquestionangly evil.

What is good and what is evil? Someone is good if they work for the betterment of the community, however that is defined. Somene is evil if they work for the destruction of the community, or of the elevation of a single person over a certain block of people.

Lets take for example, the Cho guy: what did he do? He shot up a building, and he wanted to glorify himself above those that he killed. That is certainly evil. There is no benefit that anyone else besides him can get from such an action; he just went around with guns and a cold heart, oblivious to everything else in the rest of the world.
Someone who works every day to support his family; thats good. Without people like that, how would this world, the great context of our race, get better?