What person or thing in the world is the most evil? Non-supernatural, so leave Satan and Mr. Burns out of this please.
2006-09-01 20:13:09 · 24 answers · asked by larry n 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Lisabug7777, I regret that I have but one "thumbs-down" to give to you. Your description of satan as "not supernatural" and of atheists, liberals, and humanists as the greatest of evils is itself wrong on so many levels.
What's the biggest non-supernatural evil? Ironically enough, I would have to say it is supernatural thought. "Magical thinking" detaches humans from reality and makes them shun reason, evidence, and logic. It allows people to believe in whatever fantastical notions they desire. It prohibits self-criticism or admitting any possibility that you were wrong. It causes people to think in black-and-white terms, to engage in demonization and grossly inaccurate stereotyping of those whom they don't agree with. It causes people to advocate all sorts of religious, political, and other beliefs which do harm to others and do not stand up to reason. It encourages the spread of irrational beliefs through the use of force (legislative or physical), because of course such beliefs are not good enough to spread on their own merits.
In short, "magical" or supernatural thinking corrodes intellectual integrity by bypassing reason and hiding from a person the fact that what they believe is what they want to be true, rather than what is actually supported by logic and evidence in the real world.
2006-09-01 20:56:47 · answer #1 · answered by R[̲̅ə̲̅٨̲̅٥̲̅٦̲̅]ution 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
According to Salman Rushdie, the author, in an interview a few days ago, religious fundamentalism of all faiths is the biggest evil in the world today. I'd be hard pressed to disagree.
2006-09-02 05:34:18 · answer #2 · answered by Like An Ibis 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I believe that only humans are capable of evil. I also believe that most humans are amoral. Perhaps 5% (or less) of us are actually evil
As evidence of amorality, consider the famous Milgram experiment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment
What we learn from the Milgram experiment is that 67.5% of us are willing to kill another human simply because someone with authority ordered it. This willingness to kill is in spite of hearing the screams of the person receiving electrical shocks.
In order to turn this amorality into active evil (for example in Rwanda, Cambodia or Germany) we sometimes need an evil organizer, such as the Nazi party.
However, we also need for the good people to be passive.
"When they came to get the Jews I didn't say anything because I wasn't one of them. When the Nazis came to get the Blacks I didn't say anything because I wasn't one of them. When they took the crippled, the mentally unstable and the insane away I didn't say anything. When they took the Catholics away I didn't say anything because I wasn't one of them. Now I can't say anything because they have come and taken me away." Martin Niemuhler
So you could say that the greatest evil is when good men do nothing.
2006-09-02 19:45:12 · answer #3 · answered by Tom D 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Human nature
2006-09-02 03:38:12 · answer #4 · answered by It's Ray 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Religion.
2006-09-02 04:11:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Giant Government!
2006-09-02 03:15:03 · answer #6 · answered by hairballdave 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
the biggest evil is the subjective mindset. Once a person stops believing in absolute truth, there is nothing left. His loses his very definition. He loses his humanity.
2006-09-02 03:26:33 · answer #7 · answered by Alex 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Its George W Bush who has created so many bin ladens in the world.
2006-09-02 04:24:12 · answer #8 · answered by saz 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
MAN. He kills without reason. He instigates murder and riots without benefit. He destroys without motive. And yet Man is the greatest blessing as he knows compassion, love, mercy and magnanimity.
2006-09-02 03:20:11 · answer #9 · answered by Pat Wardhan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The duality of the human condition.
2006-09-02 04:09:47 · answer #10 · answered by Dr Know It All 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋