Hello neolib,
Which leads me to a fundamental objection with your definition above: It lacks invariance.
I absolutely agree: it lacks invariance. As you might guess, that’s my view of evil as well.
People speak of pure evil: that which has no redeeming value. For example, someone is murdered “because” they wore a red scarf. No other information is available or desired. The death served no purpose, and equally, provided no benefit.
Some people have called sharks “pure evil,” but sharks need to eat and sometimes munch on people. However, I’ve never considered a shark as evil. They’re predators with fairly simple programming - that has stood the test of time. I would like to ask you: were sharks ever evil in last 400 million years of their existence?
Before I go too far, I would state that our concepts of evil arise fundamentally from our instincts as primates. I believe that the reason that the movie “Jaws” made so much money was because we “connect” with the idea of being eaten alive by a predator. This is in our very programming as primates. No high-minded concepts, just a fear (of evil).
Two quick questions: Does Hawk see Islamic-Fascists as evil? Does sylvestor80 see Israel as evil?
I would conclude that we will not find a definition of evil that is invariant, but I’d love to be proven wrong. Please ping me, if you get close.
Ronald Reagan said that the Soviet Union was an evil empire, and many people agreed. He also later suggested to some high school students that if we had a common enemy from space (aliens), we would probably need to join forces with the Soviets. It’s very hard for me to understand how millions of people in the former Soviet Union are now less evil than they were when Reagan first told me they were evil. But then again, I still have problems understanding how former east-block countries are now in NATO! How did all this evilness evaporate? Through God’s grace? How does this evil wax and wane?!
Best to you. |
