What is the basis for 'evil' and what constitutes it?

Question

I’ve been thinking & would like thoughts from the wide range of views here.

Aristotle said that there are 2 parts to every action, the intention & the deed. Evil seems on the surface to be the act, but can we ignore intention behind it – if I try to help you but accidentally harm you is it evil?

So is evil the intention of evil & the evil act itself? What if we add further problems- where people disagree an act is good/evil but all involved believe they are doing the right thing? Examples being the Nazis who’s acts I consider horrific, yet at the time they did not believe themselves evil. There are many examples of this. A more subtle example is Iraq, everyone believes they are doing the right thing but the war is right/wrong based on perspective.

The split divides people of the same faith (Bush, Blair &many opponents are Christian). Another example (Im not here to Christian bash) are Muslims & their approval/disgust at various things done in Allahs name.

So what is evil?

Oh, and I always seem to get peoples backs up with questions like this, especially religious people, So I should state I genuinely have no intention in doing so.

I guess my Issue is that if there is a basis for good and evil, like it is something objective outside of what we 'feel' (which differes from eprson to person).. nobody seems to know what it is apart from what they themselves believe based on gut instinct.

And if we cant find a basis for saying something is evil, what right have we to condem or punish people? I mean, if the worlds population was 99% Charlie Mansons, what would be considered right and wrong would be very different.

It vexes me and I look forward to hearing some differing views...

OK, I think maybe the Nazi issue was too easy as a way of saying they knew what they were doing was evil - but what about more subtle things. Iraq being one, where people who share the same faith, lifestyles and believe themselves to be good caring people, who disdain suffering, disagree on the fundamental aspects of whether the war is evil or not?

What about the cultures that abandon their elderly when they can no longer look after themselves? They believe they are doing it for the higher good of their society and its survival, but the act in itself is wrong?

What about serial killers who are sound of mind (i.e rational) but have a worldview that says killing and suffering are not part of the equation?

When people of the same faith disagree, Is there really any other basis for calling somehting something evil other then simply noting that you feel it is wrong?

I am enjoying the thoughts though, I wish more people would answer my question rather then spouting dogma at me..

Answer 1

You said that your looking for an objective standard for identifying evil. This is a tough one. You don't seem to esteem "gut feelings" very much as a method of identifying right from wrong, good from evil. I think that if you discount guy feelings and religious faith, I believe that there are no standards for good or evil. Many people will say that if you hurt someone intentionally it is evil (this is a secular humanist point of view), however, if there is no God and your gut feelings don't count, then who is to say that hurting people is wrong? You could easily construct your own philosophy of life where the good becomes whatever is in your immediate interest. If you have sexual desire, but no one at that time to satiate it, just go rape the next girl that tickles your fancy. Need some cash? Just stab rob your neighbor and be sure not to get caught. Just because other people say or feel that something is wrong doesn't make it automatically so. In order for standards of right and wrong to be universal in nature, they must be intrinsically right or wrong. And the only possible force in this world that could make things either intrinsically right or wrong is a creator that made us with a plan in his mind. If there is no creator with a plan for us, that means that all of our actions on this earth can be interpreted in the way that we wish. Whether you believe in religion or not, I think it is impossible to know for sure what is right or wrong. However, if you do believe in religion, I think the closest you can get to a reliable answer is by comparing all of the religions of the world and find the commonalities amongst them, the points of agreement. I think this will reveal what is universally recognized as what is right and what is wrong.

Answer 2

I think is the intention, and ignorance or indifference? Don't know how to explain it..When you harm someone by accident is not evil. But if you try to help and don't really search for the best way or don't bother to think f the possible consequences then is.. (part?) evil
For example, when the Nazis did what they did, it WAS evil, even if they thought it was right, they saw people suffering and didn't stop, because their superiors told them not to. They didn't bother to think for themselves, judge their superiors, and stand up against them. The same with every war, 80% of people are just following orders, like robots. Being weak and letting others tell you to kill, is also evil.

Good question by the way

Answer 3

Evil is a judgment that is specific to the point of view of the one passing the judgment, or deciding that the action constitutes evil. It does not exist outside of the mind of the one judging the action as evil.

Others may agree who hold a similar point of view but this does not make it real. Someone viewing the situation from a separate or opposite point of view will see the situation differently.
Often viewing the same action as a good or positive turn of events.

Evil is the name we give to things that we wish had not happened, and to the people who do these things.

Good is the name we give to things that we like. What is good for one group may be considered bad to some other group who sees things from a divergent point of view.

Evil is only a thought in our minds, unless we fool ourselves into thinking it is external and that it may seek to do us harm. This is a trick that we play on ourselves, no more no less.

Love and blessings
don

Answer 4

You're on to something. There does need to be some standard of what evil is otherwise anyone can say anything. According to the Bible, evil is just anything apart from God. God Himself is the unique one who is righteous and holy. He is the standard.

But we all fall short of this. Everyone of us comes from Adam, who through one unrighteous act, brought death on all. Now, something within our body (sin) lives and causes us to do things, even evil things (Rom.7). It was at that time when Adam ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that sin (evil) entered into us.

The source of evil is from the evil one, which is Satan, just as the source of love is God Himself. It's God who gives us the basis for what He considers evil, which is anything of the evil one or better put, anything apart from God. There were two trees in the garden, one was the Tree of Life. The other tree speaks about the questions you ask, which is of the knowledge of good and evil.

So the nazi's can pat each other on the back for a job well done, but what does the Lord of the universe think? Further, let's not allow the nazi's to smokescreen anything. They KNEW what they were doing was wrong, wait, I mean EVIL.

Answer 5

No, I define "evil" as a subjective value judgment and that i do no longer think it relatively is effective as adversarial to to grant susceptible men and ladies such as you something to rail in direction of. Label something "evil' and good day, on the spot enemy. No ought to bear in mind nuances or different viewpoints or a justice approach, it relatively is "evil". enable's located it on a stake and burn it. And your superstition isn't the beginning for an absolute morality, it incredibly is only what you go with to tell your self. finding at Christianity via way of the a protracted time, their ethical perspectives have switched over with society and early Christians does not even recognize this mess of surprising rituals, denominations, and proposals which you in basic terms call contemporary-day Christianity.

Answer 6

Hmm... heres a theory, but dont take this to heart. I only had 10 seconds to think it up!
Evil is an act that is destructive in nature that serves no good at all. Like if I killed some serial pedo, yeah thats a destructive act. But a lot of parents would think I was a hero. If I kill some little kid for "fun" however that serves no purpose whatsoever. Hence, evil.

Answer 7

I agree with Baz, it really all depends on your perspective. Currently, the West views Islamic fundamentalists (read:terrorists) to be evil, because of the way they fight war, and because of their religious beliefs. In the same vein, Islamic fundamentalists view the Western Nations as evil.

While there are acts that can be clearly defined as being good, evil is a much more grey area that is entirely dependent on a persons point of view.

Answer 8

You're going to get a lot of flaky responses, but here it is.

Evil is harm intentionally done to another human being (usually for personal gain, but hurting someone on purpose is evil). This includes suppressing their inalienable rights, life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. Liberty includes equality for all people, freedom of expression, speech, religion, etc, all those things we americans supposedly hold dear.

Simply thinking bad thoughts is not evil because you're not hurting anyone (despite what people may say about thinking of having sex outside of marriage being a sin). Basically, putting yourself or your personal agenda ahead of your fellow man is what evil is. It is your ethics, knowing the difference between right and wrong, that keeps you from acting on those bad thoughts. Religion muddies the conscience because one is supposed to put their religion ahead of everything, including their own lives. It's not such a great jump to put religion ahead of others' lives/wellbeing if you can put it ahead of yours, and that is the root cause of a lot of the issues stemming from religion.

The bottom line is, if it doesn't have the (realistic) potential to hurt anyone, why is it bad? If it will hurt someone, why would you do it? If it was an accident, it's not as bad but one must still be held accountable for his actions. It's your responsibility to learn from your mistakes. If you do what you think is right and it still turns out bad, you need to examine your judgement (pre-action) or your execution (action itself), because you got one of these two wrong.

Answer 9

Evil IS Satan the Devil. He is the Father of the Lie and he took one third of the angels with him to aid him in his evil ways. He was created perfect at first but then he let his own desires for wanting worship for himself to interfere in the purpose that God wanted for mankind and that was to live forever on a paradise earth. Because he knows his time is short, he is creating every sort of suffering that mankind is trying to endure through. He realizes that his time is almost up. He knows that Jehovah God, his creator, will step in and destroy him and his demons and then restore the earth back to a paradise where righteous people will once again live forever on a paradise earth. So, if one feels that they are thinking of doing something "evil" in the sense of going against your God given conscience, then we need to fight those tendencies to do bad and if you can pray for help to stop the perverse acts then you have succeeded in turning Satan away from you with God's help.

Answer 10

Moral viewpoints are subjective value judgments, so whether or not something constitutes 'evil' in a person's mind is defined by their response to it. There are no objective values of 'good' or 'evil'. This was shown long ago by David Hume and is summarised in his proof that "you cannot get an 'ought' from an 'is' - i.e. that moral values are not properties of events or ideas or people themselves, but are our responses to those things.