For atheists: Does evil exist? Can you prove it?

Question

"Nothing is good nor bad, but thinking makes it so"--Shakespeare.

Answer 1

Many people seem to regard evil is a 'thing'... something that has some form of corporeal existence in the physical universe. In that sense, evil does NOT exist.

Evil 'exists' only as an abstract concept... one that is 'dualistic' in nature. 'Evil' cannot 'exist' without 'good'. They are the two sides of the same coin, in the Yin/Yang sense. One cannot 'exist' without the other; neither can be defined or described except in terms of the other.

Good/evil is further abstracted in the sense that it represents a 'judgement'... not a 'thing'. As a judgement, good/evil is wholly subjective, since it relies entirely upon the 'criteria' that is employed in making the judgement.

So, the real issue is not good/evil per se... rather it is the criteria that people use in making their judgements of good/evil.

Since we are pretty much all wired the same, and share pretty much the same cultural values in a larger sense, we usually find ourselves on common ground when we judge questions such as "Was Hitler evil?", since we can agree on the criteria. However, we should realize that if Hitler had been asked the question "Are you evil?", he most certainly would have been thoroughly offended by the very idea. According to HIS criteria, he would have seen his actions as good, for his people and for 'The Fatherland'.

When we get down to subtler questions, where someone's 'criteria' might depend upon interpretation of a particular bible verse, for example, these kinds of judgements can get a little stickier.

Remember, though... it's not really about good/evil, it's really about criteria... which ultimately comes down to one's moral compass.

Answer 2

Evil is a manifestation of human perception. There are plenty of awful things that happen on this Earth. One look into the lives of wild animals we see many "unjust" acts but it is not evil for a fox to kill a rabbit for dinner. It is not evil for a crow to steal the eggs from a sparrow's nest. But humans are tragic creatures. We see these events as unfair, hence the old addage "Life isn't fair".

I suppose human's can be evil, because we have cognitive abilities beyond wild animals and therefore have intent. To do something bad for the sake of its badness, could be considered evil. But what are the motives? What is the history? Most people feel justified in their ill deeds.

Perhaps evil then is an intentional bad deed with no moral justification.

Being bad for the sake of being bad.

Answer 3

That's one of my favorite Shakespeare quotes. In the grand scheme of things, neither evil nor good exist, except in the eye of the beholder. We can build a culturally widespread concept of evil or good, but there will always be some who dissent from the mainstream viewpoint.

Answer 4

Depends what you mean by exists, doesn't it?

Many people have had moments in their lives when they have done things or had thoughts we might judge evil. Some people do more and greater harm than others and so we can call them evil.

But if you mean that evil exists independently of people and their actions, that it has a non-human manifest form, as in the sense of a devil or demon, then I would say no. Evil in that sense doesn't exist.

Answer 5

The University professor challenged his students with this question"Did God create everything that exists?"
A student bravely replied, "Yes he did!"
"God created everything?" The professor asked.
"Yes sir", the student replied.
The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then God is evil."The student became quiet before such an answer. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.
Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a
question professor?"
"Of course", replied the professor.
The student stood up and asked, "Professor does cold exist?"
"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The students snickered at the young man's question.
The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460? F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."
The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"
The professor responded, "Of course it does."
The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."
Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"
Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as I have already said. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."
To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."
The professor sat down.

Answer 6

there is not really such thing as evil. it depends on who is looking at the situation.

take abortion for example

people believe that it is evil because you are killing a life.

but there are also some people who believe that it is ok because the parents cant support the child, it is a teenager and having a baby will ruin the rest of their life, there could be physical or mental complications, etc.

it is the views of the people.

in every murder case (one that was non-accidental) there has been a logical explanation. either it was for revenge, protection, or the person themself really believed that they need to do this for some reason.

so it would depend on the person becasue it is one of those things that are not for certain because of peoples opinions.

Answer 7

If your and atheists you would be definition not believe in the concept of either good or evil in a religious context.
On a more personal level, while I don't believe in god, I do believe that people like Hilter were "evil" and that generally speaking lots of sex is "good".

Answer 8

Good and evil are points of view. Those who are considered evil do not themselves believe they are evil (except in bad storytelling). Moreover, they believe that those who consider them evil are the evil ones.

As a result, we have senseless strife and wars because these points of view are defended by those who can accept no others.

Answer 9

Evil is as real as God in someone's mind.

How can anyone prove something that was created inside human mind then ask others if they can prove it does not exist?

It is like I created God in my head and I turn around asking you to prove that God does not exist.

Answer 10

The concept of good and evil is subjective and your Shakespearean quote is as much proof as you need...since the question is subjective only you can answer it and the answer will only matter to you what your subjective conclusion and resulting "proof" is won't matter to anyone else and why should it ; it is after all only your opinion