What really is "Evil?" How is it best defined?

http://www.fluther.com/disc/61003/what-do-you-consider-to-be-evil/

hmm.. well, i think that’s a different question but yea some of the answers in that thread respond to this question. ah well, give it a new go if you can.

I think human intent is implicit in the notion of evil so certainly example 1 would not count. Example 2 is iffier – did the boys “intend” to cause damage or were they jus larking about? Example 3 is definitely evil in my book; killing was intentionally planned and carried out. That is an evil act.

anti-life

I’d say that the essence of evil is conscious indifference to, or taking pleasure in, the suffering of others. Evil is the state of mind behind the action, not the consequences.

Sometimes one knows that an action will cause some suffering, but it must be taken anyway for a greater good; the suffering is deeply regretted, but it’s the only appropriate choice. That’s not evil.

When one simply doesn’t care about the suffering, or is motivated by the suffering, that’s evil.

Example 1) Nature, not evil.

Example 2) Carelessness, not evil.

Example 3) Calculated Evil. Clearly Satan’s hand at work.

But none of these compare to the true embodyment of evil….Bill O’Reilly!

Evil is used to described acts. A person cannot be evil. Evil should never be used to describe a thing or a person. Evil is something someone does. All obther definitions are irrelevant and incorrect.

Hitler wasn’t evil; he was however, a fucking monster who performed many acts of evil upon those who saw as inferior.

To me, evil has always been a word used to describe that which we can’t understand. It was not that long ago homosexuality was called evil (still is unfortunately), it was not that long ago a tornado would have been called the wrath of god, and a person killing dozens of people could have easily been called demonically possessed.

Most people will answer #3 is evil, but I wonder if that’s what we call people like that in a couple of hundred years. I’m not trying to put a positive spin to case #3, but there’s probably a mental condition/deviation at work there, not the hand of the devil himself.

Evil is in the momentary intent and the carried out actions of those who seek to hurt or destroy others.

@markyy tornadoes are Acts of God, according to the Insurance Institute.

@Psychedelic_Zebra That’s because you live in a backwards country :P Why not call it an act of nature?

@markyy of course America is a backwards country, according to research 75% of our citizens believe in angels and a personal God. Silly ‘mericans.

My mother is a christian conservative and sincerely believes in God’s definition of evil:

Satan’s operatives roaming the earth making people do bad things.

I prefer Reagan’s definition:

Those nations that would do harm to capitalist countries, or would attempt to spread fascism or communism, or lately those that would twist their religion into an excuse to program their children into hating and harming the west on ‘principle’.

Oh, and those that would call Americans backwards…

@Psychedelic_Zebra Those numbers will probably be a bit lower over here, but still enough religious people to get the christian party voted in parlement for the last 8 years. However, when we started the separation of church and state we really did follow through.

@proXXi I would really like to respond to that, but I’m afraid every snappy comeback I’ll made it will just get moderated as a personal attack (even without resorting to namecalling). So instead let me take this time to educate you on the use of smilies on the internet:

You see, the ’:p’ or ’:-p’ smiley is used to denote sarcasm, or as several smiley guides on the internet would have you believe: ‘nyah nyah’. Wow @markyy, that’s great, I hear you thinking. But what does ‘nyah nyah’ mean? Well here’s what Wiki Answers think it means.

Evil is when a person deliberately causes harm for no socially justifiable reason other than to cause harm.

Also, I would say that evil is It’s in the perception by others. Few, if any, perceive themselves as evil. You always justify your own actions. I am sure Pol Pot didn’t think of himself as evil.

@oratio That’s why I think that the attitude toward the suffering caused is the closest thing we have to an objective measure. Pol Pot, Hitler, Stalin and company can always justify their actions based on some “higher” goal, but in the end, they simply didn’t care about, or took a sadistic pleasure in, torture and murder. When compassion gets switched off, you’ve got evil.

Evil 1: Their fault for having a wedding in a tornado zone.

Evil 2: Boys will be boys.

Evil 3: Evil son of a bitch.

@Harp Do you think evil can be treated as a zero sum game. Can you amend by punishment and forgiveness? What does Buddhism say about evil?

I would say evil is all about the intent. Just because a deed can be seen as evil doesn’t necessarily mean that the perpetrator carried it out with evil intent (i.e. evil 2). From experience, I would define evil as actions (or indeed a mindset) that commits acts to either cause harm to others, or attain personal gain through the exploitation of others.

@oratio From a Buddhist perspective, mind state is what matters. Actions that stem from greed, anger, and disregard for others unleash a chain of hurtful consequences, sending suffering rippling out into the world. The world becomes a darker place as more and more minds become angry, fearful, and vindictive. Look at the waves of suffering that have propagated out from the evil acts of a few individuals on 9/11/01 as an example.

Actions that stem from compassion propagate beneficial consequences that reach far beyond the doer. The world becomes brighter as minds are turned toward good will. M L King, Gandhi, Mandela, the Dalai Lama and others, by acting out of compassion rather than anger, set in motion processes of compassion that still reverberate through the world.

Punishment is problematic, because it usually stems from the mind state of anger. Framing it as “justice” doesn’t change the fact that this act is simply a continuance of the harm set in motion by the evil-doers original deed and, in a way, just perpetuates that harm.

Forgiveness has the opposite effect. It comes from a mind state of compassion, of wanting to see the cycle of suffering caused by the evil deed end before causing yet another casualty.

Obviously, this is complicated, and the complication needs to be recognized. The point is that being punitive just because it feels good to be vindictive, is not helpful. But of course it’s stupid to give someone with an evil mind state a free pass of forgiveness and allow them to go on causing harm. Society needs to be protected, but piling more suffering on accomplishes nothing.

Evil is a personal construct. If you take two different people and ask them to assess a single situation based on whether or not it’s evil, you might get the same answer. If you give these people a hundred different situations, there will most likely be some differences. Who’s right? Both. Who’s wrong? Both. A man who has a gun and shoots a lot of people is a murderer, or he’s a soldier. A man who chops up the still living bodies of defenseless creatures is a murderer, or he’s a farmer. There is no such thing as evil. There is only human perception.

If I was forced to choose one of the above it would be scenario three. However I would have to know more about the individual and the circumstances that caused this breakdown.

Moreso I would say an evil scenario is that of a sociopathic rapist/serial killer. Someone who has no ability for remorse. Who tortures for fun or self gratification.

Different circles of hell for different tiers of evilness.

Evil is not Good.

As a cosmic force or a moral thing, evil does not exist anymore than good does.

Its etymological root is supposed to mean ‘exceeding due measure’ or ‘overstepping proper limits’.

@proXXi at the risk of having my answer moderated, I stand by my opinion that Americans are backwards when compared to other (especially European) cultures. I am an American, and I see it everyday. There are so many things in America that are caused by egocentricism, neo-patriotism and downright ignorance that its a wonder the greatest country in the world can sustain so many narrow-minded people within its borders.

@Psychedelic_Zebra I can relate, but the more I learn about America the more it I feel humbled. There are some major differences. There are many things wonderful. There are some things that feel like down right atrocities. But all in all, it is an amazing country.

When I was a kid Europe seemed so forward and exotic. I grew out of it.

Causing harm to others and being aware of it.