Adrianime Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 The concept of "evil" has never made sense to me. I don't think of it as a synonym to "bad" as I definitely understand bad. But I have never understood evil. Growing up one of my favorite saying was, "There is no such thing as evil, just bad decisions." And for the most part I still believe that. Although once you get into the realm of mental disability being the "cause" of people doing horrible things, it might become a little more complex than just bad decisions. But I still don't think it is evil. A rapist? A serial killer? Hitler? Adam Lanza? Horrible decisions, yes. Evil? I don't see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipVanWinkle Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Back to basics. How do you define evil? bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galien Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 From what I have observed in life evil starts when people fail to consider others. Often starts small, then snowballs. Begins with a why should I attitude. Once a person decides that other people are there for them to use, or dominate they are capable of just about anything to keep their power. Happens in families, businesses, churches, nations. In group situations power hungry nut jobs need enablers, those who perceive them as the alpha and require their approval. The evil person shows complete indifference to the feelings of others, the world exists to please them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duderonomy Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Back to basics. How do you define evil? bill I second that question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astreja Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I see evil as any deliberate action done with the intention of causing harm and suffering. I don't think that it exists outside the wilful actions of sentient beings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soonerproud Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Back to basics. How do you define evil? bill I third that question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest r3alchild Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Yes how do you define evil, we have nothing perfectly opposite to compare it to, the same can be said of good. The only way people understand evil is when they compare it to a better opposite, but whos to say that that opposite is evil compared to a higher opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 There are some really terrible things in nature - from a human perspective, which is where I am at, I would say its evil. Deliberate causation of prolonged suffering of another being for one's own pleasure. Sadistic serial killers come to mind. The fact that these folks have a double life and often are seen by others as normal, even successful, people shows they aren't deranged or insane, but know and like what they are doing. I suppose its a question of degree, but I would say that these people do evil and are evil. There are some creatures in the insect world that are parasitic and literally eat the host alive. That is "natural" for sure, but it seems diabolical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderinstar Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Does evil have an agreed upon definition, or is it relative and subjective, dependant on the observer? For me true evil is rare but when I encounter 'it' I identify it immediately (unless it is hidden as in the serial killers alter-ego). The paedophile who abused me for years as a child was evil incarnate. People who knew nothing found him creepy and threatening. These are people/actions that have zero conscience and get a sick pleasure out of seeing others suffer. On the spiritual side; before I was Christian or knew much at all about anything religious I had several experiences where I felt as if 'a blanket of evil' had fallen on me while alone, usually in my bedroom. Other much more freaky unexplained shit that borders on poltergiest activity also occurred. Now I'm not sure I even believe spirits exist I still cannot explain what I experienced. At the time it made me believe evil existed outside the material world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipVanWinkle Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 If you are thinking of "evil" some supernatural spirit, then there is no evil. If not, how is evil different from other words, such as, "cruel' or malicious? bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
◊ crazyguy123 ◊ Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 I think that there is evil and my definition of evil would basically be any action or event that results in the unnecessary suffering of a living thing. I would divide evil into categories, "Natural evil" and anther category of evil that I don't know what to call it. I would consider the actions of a predator ripping apart its prey as it eats it to be natural evil, since the predator is doing this because it must not survive and very likely does not even have the ability to consider the feelings of the prey. I would consider the suffering to living things caused by any natural disaster to be a natural evil. The other category that I don't exactly know what to call it would be the evil actions of sentient beings that know what they are doing but either do not care or they enjoy it. So I would put the actions of serial killers, terrorists, rapists, etc. into this category. I also consider the decision to commit these evil actions to be evil as well, simply because the end result of the action they decide to commit would result in unnecessary suffering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolaida Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 When I was a Christian, I heard the saying that there is no evil, just bad decisions. It was sometimes twisted, though, to where the people making the bad decisions were empowering evil/Satan and his demons. So evil made sense in that people were falling for Satan's temptations. But even then, when they started going into mental illnesses, it made no sense- like people would say if he'd only prayed more or how some people just weren't meant to be good or how it was part of God's plan. But, now, it STILL doesn't make sense. It makes more sense in that some people are not equipped with the skills to function "correctly" in society so to speak so they act out in a way that hurts others horribly. But in the end, it was still their decision to not seek help. But then who's to say they didn't even realize they needed help? I don't know. But it feels wrong to be sympathetic at all to any of those people. I mean, some personal responsibility has to be taken. But sometimes, you know, I think people just do stuff to get away with it. A friend of mine went to boyfriend's and he wasn't there. She called and wound up waiting for him in a mutual friend's place in the same building. He got her a drink that must have had something in it because after she drank it, she was "funny" and didn't fight back while he proceeded to rape her for a few hours. She had bruises on her from it .Her boyfriend had been mad that it had taken her so long to get there after he'd arrived and texted her, not believing her rape claim and accusing her of cheating (forcing himself on her at that point- but she doesn't really consider this one rape even though she's aware it could be considered). The guy had a girlfriend who had just given birth to twins several days before. She said the thing she wondered about a lot of days was just WHY? Why would you do that to anyone? What was the point of it? Indeed, what was the point? None of it really makes sense in my mind, stuff like this. It's all just very sad and depressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boftx Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 crazyguy123, If one grants that the decision to commit some act that is generally regarded as "evil" represents an abberation or possible "flaw" in the mind of person doing so, then ALL evil can be looked at as being "natural evil" as used by you and by philosopy/theology in general,. One need not even consider if the condition that leads to "evil" acts is the result of nature or nurtue, it simply is present for whatever reason. I'm of the opinion that "natural evil" is a misnomer, since the acts described by such are an inherent part of nature and are a logical consequence of how the Universe works (think earthquakes and floods.) If I am correct in extending that to acts by humans, who are also just another animal, then the concept of "evil" is null. There are then simply more desireable as opposed to less desireable actions in relation to any given individual. This still presents a huge problem for Christians, since now it can be clearly stated that God "created" evil as it is a natural consequence of the laws that govern the Universe even when considering acts performed by humans. But atheists and Deists should have no problem with accepting "evil" as a natural event and dealing with it accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galien Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 I guess evil is really quite subjective, but I don't think it is in any way natural. For example, I think it is evil to care about money more than people, but I'm sure most capitalists would disagree with me. Some people said the Japanese tsunami was a natural evil, but I think we are organisms quite vulnerable in our environment. I'm sure the earth's plates did not mean to shift and cause an evil tsunami that killed people. I don't see how that can be called evil when it is just a natural phenomenon that occurs with or without the presence of humans in its path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RankStranger Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 'Evil' is a concept- a cultural notion. In that sense, it's real. I think a better question would be whether or not this cultural notion accurately describes reality. I'd say that like lots of cultural ideas, it's a gross oversimplification... in this case a convenient label to apply to things we don't like. That's not to say that say serial killers' (for instance) actions don't come so close to the concept of 'evil' that they'd might as well be a perfect fit. But we apply the word to so many things that aren't clearly 100% malevolent. So like too many questions in life, a yes/no answer is inadequate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 'Evil' is a concept- a cultural notion. In that sense, it's real. I think a better question would be whether or not this cultural notion accurately describes reality. I'd say that like lots of cultural ideas, it's a gross oversimplification... in this case a convenient label to apply to things we don't like. That's not to say that say serial killers' (for instance) actions don't come so close to the concept of 'evil' that they'd might as well be a perfect fit. But we apply the word to so many things that aren't clearly 100% malevolent. So like too many questions in life, a yes/no answer is inadequate. Yeah, it's probably moral shorthand, which can be useful in some ways but dangerous in others. It's useful to think murder is evil as it keeps most people from doing it and causes society to exact quick and harsh penalties against those who do anyway. It's not so great if the concept is usurped and those who protest against the government are given this label or those who happen to have an outlier sexual orientation; etc... In another thread here we discuss 9/11 and the Taliban. The concept has been successfully transferred to the Taliban and Saddam Hussein, causing a nation of 300Million to send its sons and daughters off to fight two wars without any deep introspection or investigation. In my own personal book, this use of the concept of evil is evil. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted March 22, 2013 Super Moderator Share Posted March 22, 2013 Evil exists because we define the concept. Of course what people consider to be evil varies widely with the individual, time and place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duderonomy Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 The concept of "evil" has never made sense to me. I don't think of it as a synonym to "bad" as I definitely understand bad. But I have never understood evil. Growing up one of my favorite saying was, "There is no such thing as evil, just bad decisions." And for the most part I still believe that. Although once you get into the realm of mental disability being the "cause" of people doing horrible things, it might become a little more complex than just bad decisions. But I still don't think it is evil. A rapist? A serial killer? Hitler? Adam Lanza? Horrible decisions, yes. Evil? I don't see it. Evil must exist. We are all talking about it. You asked about it. You've heard of it. Of course it exists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrGuitar Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 I think Love is a guiding foundation of reality...metaphysical..as is reality ultimately... Evil is the opposite..some actions are more evil..i.e. opposed to love than are others... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBluegrassSkeptic Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Profound immorality, wickedness, and depravity, esp. when regarded as a supernatural force. - Per Merriam-Webster. So you have to set a benchmark. And that is never cut and dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryper Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 there is only choice and the consequence of choice. How the choices are viewed by those effected and those enacting is subjective and defined as (good or evil) or (blue or orange). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Babylonian Dream Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 I see evil as any deliberate action done with the intention of causing harm and suffering. I don't think that it exists outside the wilful actions of sentient beings. This. I've known evil people, and they weren't just "good people making bad decisions". They were evil people making decisions to harm others intentionally for what they gained from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TrueFreedom Posted March 27, 2013 Moderator Share Posted March 27, 2013 Since we have not agreed to a definition, I cannot answer that question. Evil seems generally to be associated with selfish, non-altruistic behavior, which certainly exists. Does an objective "good" and "evil" exist? I suspect such a conclusion beyond human capacity to substantiate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrianime Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 I see evil as any deliberate action done with the intention of causing harm and suffering. I don't think that it exists outside the wilful actions of sentient beings. This. I've known evil people, and they weren't just "good people making bad decisions". They were evil people making decisions to harm others intentionally for what they gained from it. Based on this definition we all became evil the first time we flushed a spider down the toilet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipVanWinkle Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 The problem with the idea that there is no evil, just bad decisions, is that this idea is easily misinterpreted to make some people think its use is to minimize how horrible an act, whether natural or human, can be. I suspect the idea of evil is to have a fictional scapegoat with which we can target our utter frustration when really bad things happen. That's why many people think of evil as the devil or a spirit, so that it is an entity we can hate. Personifying evil somehow makes it the very highest level of bad. bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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