Is it possible to perform an act of necessary evil and not be made evil by it?

Question

Please elaborate.

Phoenix Quill: Thanks so much for explaining the ways of the world to poor, helpless, confused little old me. I'll ask my male relatives to explain it again to me later. WTF?

Answer 1

Sometimes, one is forced to choose between the lesser of evils. Evil implies intent. Intentions can be good or bad and still support 'evil'. One is not made evil simply by a failure to act or not. It is far more complex. No harm may be intended yet evil can still feed on it. Perception is in the eye of the seeker.

Answer 2

No. There are no acts of necessary evil. It certainly isn't the easy way out, however, there is no way to do a wrong act for right reasons and not be tainted by it. Necessary evils are things we do in order to make things easier on ourselves: doing or saying something in order that another person does not suffer, keeping ourselves safe or out of danger's way. It feels horrible to hurt someone else's feelings with the truth, so we lie. A necessary evil. However, it doesn't make it right, just because it feels good. Once we see how it makes us feel, and the apparent "goodness" of it, (making someone else feel good makes us feel good, regardless if we had to do a necessary evil to accomplish it), we are more likely to do it again. Remember, the "devil" has a pretty face...!

Answer 3

Yes I believe so. Because it is necessary and there's nothing you can do to get around it. I guess something like that would be having to take another person life so you could survive or family could live. I'm a pacifist but I'm not going let somebody or something take my life or the lives of any my friends. I hope that was enough of an elaboration for you I can't really think of more to say.

Answer 4

What is evil? Evil is all a matter of opinion.
What you consider evil I may consider something else.
For example, many people consider Dr. Kevorkian evil. He may consider what he does necessary and kind (making it possible for terminally ill people to end their own lives) , while somebody else considers it necessary evil, and somebody else considers it un-necessary evil. Does that make him evil? He thought he was doing a good thing, and so did those poor people he "assisted".
Or consider the death penalty. some find it necessary evil while others find it justice and not evil at all. Still others may consider it abhorent and un-necessary entirely. Does that make the jurors evil? In some people's eyes it does. In thier own eyes they did the right thing and resolved a problem. What if the person was really innocent, but circumstance was against him. Those jurors executed an innocent man...are they evil?
Evil and good are arbitrary markers perpetuated by man because they make us feel in control of the world. The thought "If I am a good person, good will come to me later (Karma) or in an afterlife (religion)." makes us feel like we know what will happen...which we don't. The same with, "Oh, He'll get his in the end, that evil man!" Makes us feel secure, when in fact we don't know that we are.
In addition the word "evil" helps us dehumanize and villify people. "Well, he deserved what he got, he was evil." If we believe someBODY is evil, than anything that happens to them is alright with us? so thinking deeds and especially people are "EVIL" makes attrocities possible.
And since evil is a metter of opinion, the word EVIL "makes it okay" in your conscience to hate or kill or anything else anybody who's opinion is different from your own.
For instance, witchhunts...many people still consider witches evil. In olden times, that made it socailly acceptable to do any number of horrible things to accused witches.
I also take issue with the term "Necessary Evil" in general. If you are frozen in the mountains with a dead friend, is it necessary to eat them? does it make you evil? If you really think it's evil....why do it? even if it means death. You have to convince yourself it's not evil?
Truly evil is just an arbitrary concept.
Just something for you to think about.

Answer 5

For every meal you've had, something had to die. Death & Life are intimately bound.
Humans in general, split the tasks of life and death along gender lines. Women nurture, Men go out and kill things. Men are warriors.

From the paradigm of hunting and territorial defense, brutality & violence are simply tools of the trade.
But from the paradigm of nurture, violence seems evil.

Now evil is acting against the interest of your family or society, so there’s no such thing as ‘necessary’ evil.
But nurturers confuse evil with violence, so they call the violence that seems necessary, ‘necessary evil’ and suspect that the act of doing this violence inclines the warrior to commit acts of violence that are not necessary. Hence the question: “Is it possible to perform an act of necessary evil and not be made evil by it?”

The answer is YES. Most men know where the violence belongs.
That spot of Ying in the Yang means men in general know how to nurture as well.

Now it is true that some men can get confused and wind up beating someone they should clearly be nurturing.

I personally would recommend the battered woman invite over every man she knows; father, brother, cousins, friends, members of law enforcement, etc. ; to ‘explain’ the proper use of violence to her partner.

She should probably leave the room during the explanation, though, to avoid making that ever so common feminine mistake; which is to nurture someone who clearly needs a beating.

In every Ying, there’s a spot of Yang.

Answer 6

what would you count as a necessary evil?
maybe stealing food to feed your children?
killing someone in self defense?
as far as that goes what do you consider evil?
as a christian any transgression of the law is a sin and therefore evil.
no one can claim to have never broken the law(gods law) so therefore all can be considered evil.
im not preaching, just giving food for thought.
at times ,circumstances lead a person down a path he wouldn't necessarily go down.
I consider murder an evil act .but if I had to kill someone in self defense or in defense of my children I wouldn't give it a second thought.
would I then be an evil person for the rest of my life? would that one act of evil cause me to turn to an evil lifestyle?
I don't think so.
I believe there are evil people who even when they are doing good ,do so for the purpose of self gain and therefore their good is evil.in the same vein a good person can commit an evil act with good (even if misled )intentions and remain good.
but then If a person continues to commit an act of evil,one of the consequences is a hardening of the conscience in such a circumstance one can eventually excuse any act of evil and become evil.
peace><>

Answer 7

Yes....When you live in a society different than us. The evilness of an act depends on the culture...or the world you are living in. But i dont think there is one. If you concider both the civilized society and a very primitve one ...they both have the concept of what evil doing is...though it might differ from each other.

Answer 8

i think the fake effect lies in the definition of infallible - despite if an infallible guy or woman is purely devoid of sin, or is devoid of sin or errors. It additionally relies upon on what could be seen an errors. certainly Allah knows of all issues, and could suitable even what's outwardly incorrect - seem at what got here approximately whilst the brothers of Yusuf (as) bought him into slavery - he saved a rustic from famine. there is purely one Islam. there is one Quran. All Muslims could be keen to set aside transformations in info, and artwork collectively in the direction of a purely and Islamic society. all of us agree that there is one God and Mohammed (as) is the messenger of God. each little thing else will fall into place.

Answer 9

No. I am sure of this. Every morbid action corrupts and weakens us forever. A little here, a little there. Our evil deeds corrode the integrity of our Being like acid rain.

Answer 10

I don't believe someone can "become" evil... corrupted, perhaps. As human beings we all have it within us to behave in evil ways, those among us who choose kindness over evil help keep civilization together.