What Is The Basis Of Evil? What Makes Things/People Evil?

Answer 1

First I don't believe there are evil things, only people.

People become evil by gradually allowing themselves to discount the worth of others. Sometimes it starts with animals, sometimes with playfellows, but little by little they build cruelty into their character until it becomes habitual. It can also be taught, and frequently is. I don't think everyone has inborn evil, but we do have evil impulses that flash across our minds sometimes rarely, sometimes hourly. Every time such an impulse is resisted, it gets easier to resist the others, and every time it is acted upon, it gets easier to act upon the next. Each day is usually a mixed bag; you thought of something cruel to say and didn't say it, then later you told another person what you thought of and get a chuckle at the expense of another.

You can see this at work in little children who are innocent because they cannot tell the difference between kindness and cruelty. Toddlers are capable of great generosity and a second later are clawing at each other over a toy they won't share. As you grow you get these same impulses constantly, some good, some bad, and as you build a habit of following one or the other your character either grows into adulthood, or shrinks into a sort of permanent evil childhood. Over time your habits become so ingrained that you don't even notice the good impulses anymore, but court dark thoughts and cruel designs.

Then you graduate to rape or murder or some other monstrosity, and when God doesn't hit you with a lightning bolt, you become hardened in evil and get pleasure by inflicting pain on others. Their suffering is your narcotic.

The antidote is simple if you catch it early enough; every time you feel that urge to hurt somebody...don't

Answer 2

I'd say the basis of evil is the focus to act solely on selfish impulse, disregarding conscience, and doing only what WE want, never mind who it hurts in the process.
Although, I don't think there is a way for anyone to be truly evil... everyone has both sides in them. It's the side they choose to act on that makes them good or evil.

Answer 3

I would say an Evil act, is an act whereby a person willfully and consciously commits acts against another person which will cause them harm, pain, trauma etc.

Evil is subjective, and you can nit pick for hours over the fact that one person/culture's evil is another's normal, and vice versa, but realistically i think my first paragraph sums it up for me.

A good person can commit an evil act, likewise evil people are sometimes capable of acts of goodness, so its a bit of a grey area!

I think its a matter of degrees, the more a person is willfully and deliberately harmful the more they are likely to be labelled truly evil.

However is a person who committed a rape or murder many years ago, and since regretted it deeply, and lived a good and productive life since deserve to be regarded as evil forevermore, or just as a person who is not inherently evil, but committed an evil act?

Answer 4

After having first hand experience of evil individuals I would say a bang to the head and the way they were brought up had a lot of influence! but I truly believe evil people are born evil but it is wether or not they can control that side of their personality, or if it controls them!

Answer 5

To be 'evil' is a matter of degree, but l think greed coupled with self-delusion is the start of it. when somebody puts his own desires before everything else and then convinces himself he has the right to do it. People we consider as evil in history are those who desire power, territories and riches and have taken these things without a thought for their victims - telling themselves they are doing for their religion, country or cause. Most of what we consider as 'wanton cruelty' is often sexually based, the desire for the sexual thrill over-rides the knowledge he has that this is causing another harm. Then there are those who desire 'fame' at any cost, even if that causes great suffering to others [ie by killing an innocent] lt all comes down to desiring something and fooling himself it is OK to do whatever it takes to get it - regardless.....

Answer 6

For the most simplistic answer I can come up with because I'm too lazy to type anymore today...

Evil is whatever YOU believe to be against your own person system of morals.

What makes people evil? You're criticism of the behavior you find immoral. Probably along with a majority.

Answer 7

The reason we have evil is so that we can know what is good. Being good can be very hard and not bring much rewards.
Being evil is easier and can bring great physical rewards, we have to use our God given freewill to make the right choices.

Answer 8

No such thing as evil as such, evil is a name made up by religious people, people who kill are only displaying their animal instinct, going back to the early man, they don't have feelings, sins where made up to change people, so these people have not been taught about sins or evil and they don't know what it is.

Answer 9

There is no such thing as 'evil'.

Evil is a creation of the human mind, normally it is simply a person/animal/etc who does something the human finds morally wrong, disgusting, or cruel. And that, is what evil is.

Answer 10

If you where to label someone’s actions as evil it would because their actions while good for them are harmful to others. Generally these harms have to be pretty extreme before we label them as evil. I guess you could say that evil is selfishness with disregard or spite towards others.