What is Evil?

[osgart]

Evil is to be a false accuser, a tale bearing liar seeking personal pleasure, power, reputation, and/or gain from the harmful damage, and/or destruction of innocent people.

To know what evil is you have to know what innocence is. Innocence is without malice, and no desire for malevolent behaviour. Innocence is incapable of evil.

Evil and innocence are indeed motives that drive actions. It takes false prideful arrogance to do evil. Innocence is a charitable heart toward others.

Often times stupidity, false senses of confidence, and ignorance are very much as dangerous as evil but they are not in and of themselves evil. There's more dangerous, and terrible things that go on than just evil.

There's no good reason to do evil. It's unjustifiable. It's cause less, and baseless. Very unnatural.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

What were their motives? I think it would be good to list them.



So, to be clear. The metric for evil is the outcome?

one of them, yes. I don't see lack of intent as absolving one of at least partial responsibility. And following rules just because they are "legal and approved" and as ordered by your superiors does not make the outcome not evil.

 

[dybmh]

one of them, yes. I don't see lack of intent as absolving one of at least partial responsibility

Of course. I agree 100%. I hope that I did not imply that there was absolution. Not at all. Damages are damages, harm is harm. Reparations must be made. The label of evil, though, I take issue with that.

If I label someone evil, then, in some ways that encourages them to be evil. They now have an excuse: "I guess I'm evil so... "

And following rules just because they are "legal and approved" and as ordered by your superiors does not make the outcome not evil.

I agree.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

If I label someone evil,

which is why I try to avoid labeling people as evil...intents, rules, actions and their consequences may be evil, but individual humans remain the complicated creatures that they are...sometimes being evil and sometimes good, and probably most of the time being somewhere in the middle...

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

which is why I try to avoid labeling people as evil...intents, rules, actions and their consequences may be evil, but individual humans remain the complicated creatures that they are...sometimes being evil and sometimes good, and probably most of the time being somewhere in the middle...

What a great post.
Thank you, my brother.

Yes, while we should call evil evil, we should be very careful in judging the person who makes the evil deed.
Jesus warns us that we will be judge using the criteria we used to judge others. So, benevolence and prudence is key.

 

[Fool]

Hello, friends!

Do we agree on what is evil and what is not?
There are many potential approaches to this. Here I just state 3 that come to my mind, but I encourage you to add and comment.

1. "What the Bible/Quran or sacred text says to be evil, is evil", but then we ran into the problem of context, and of applying "principles" to situations that were not contemplated explicitly in the sacred text.
2. Whatever reduces a key value of the person, or society, is evil (eg happiness, freedom, well-baing). But then, what we understand for "happiness", "freedom", "well-being" or whatever value we consider important, is subject to debate in certain contexts. Then, not all "reductions" are significant (do very small reductions qualify as "evil"?). Furthermore, sometimes we sacrifice certain value to increase another value. For example, we may sacrifice certain degree of freedom to achieve more happiness, or viceversa.
3. Whatever society agrees to be evil at a given time and place.

the lack of love for other as self misses the mark

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

Evil is one of the best shows of its genre.

 

[BrightShadow]

Hello, friends!

Do we agree on what is evil and what is not?
There are many potential approaches to this. Here I just state 3 that come to my mind, but I encourage you to add and comment.

1. "What the Bible/Quran or sacred text says to be evil, is evil", but then we ran into the problem of context, and of applying "principles" to situations that were not contemplated explicitly in the sacred text.
2. Whatever reduces a key value of the person, or society, is evil (eg happiness, freedom, well-baing). But then, what we understand for "happiness", "freedom", "well-being" or whatever value we consider important, is subject to debate in certain contexts. Then, not all "reductions" are significant (do very small reductions qualify as "evil"?). Furthermore, sometimes we sacrifice certain value to increase another value. For example, we may sacrifice certain degree of freedom to achieve more happiness, or viceversa.
3. Whatever society agrees to be evil at a given time and place.

"Evil" has categories.
Intent shows when something is evil or not especially when unnecessary pain and suffering is inflicted. Damage justifies the conclusion how evil it really was.

So, when against fellow humans or earthly beings and things - evil is subjective.
When against God - Evil is pure! Anything proven to be against God - has no room for error that it is pure evil!

So, when Atheists will find out that God is real - by not seeking God and adhering to his words - their non participation to the way of life God ordained - will be considered evil because it is against God (God's wishes).

In today's world - message reached everyone and thus - all have been warned. IMO