There were lots of people for whom Hitler was good. The same goes for every evil dictator in history.Yes, I believe in evil. Hitler was evil, bushinski is evil....
What do you think of the notion of ''evil''?
Is evil relative? Is it a matter of personal opinion? Are some things evil no matter what?
Is ''evil'' a human construct that has no existence whatsoever outside the human mind?
wow, I just had a total Calvin and Hobbes moment...wanted to say "no I didn't!"...
No prob. It's a good thread
On the show, he refers to it as his dark passenger. He kind of needs to feed that part of himself. It's ritualistic, it's a release, he's driven to kill.
I think it is evil to terminate life, when there is no guarantee that the life being extinguished is guilty of the crime that life was charged with. However, I can certainly empathize with the victims of such heinous crimes, and that's my own little bit of evil I would say.
Can you think of any evil in yourself SLone?
There is evil in everyone I think, how else would you know it? Most times that little vaccine works and we are saved from the worst of our own dark corners. Less often there is no cure for one infected with evil.
I agree with Twila - noun, adjective and adverb.
There is no pure good, and there is no pure evil. When I really need something, I will try real hard to get it. And it would be good for me when I do. But it would be evil for those I took it away from. That's it. The same applies to anything. Good and evil are just points of view.
So if a psychopath decides to torture and eat a child while it's still alive the evilness of the action is just a question of point of view?
Yes. You would consider it evil. I would consider it evil. The majority of sane people would consider it evil. But it is perfectly normal in the psycopath's world. It's just the matter of who decides which is which.
Yes. You would consider it evil. I would consider it evil. The majority of sane people would consider it evil. But it is perfectly normal in the psycopath's world. It's just the matter of who decides which is which.
''Evil takes all sorts of forms''...
But what is it that you call 'evil' that takes many forms? Is it an impulse to hurt others?
Is the serial killer born evil? Or does he become evil because he was exposed to evil people? Or for any other reasons you can think of?
So basically, what you are saying is that in essence, nothing is better than anything else... That it's all relative... From an objective point of view, torturing and eating a child is neither good nor bad... Is that what you are saying?
(I don't want to put words into your mouth... I'm playing devil's advocate...)
What about karma? Do you believe in karma? And if you do, doesn't the concept stand on the idea that some actions are simply better than others?
Notice the emphasis I put on the word ''sane'' in your post.
By using that word, aren't you using some form of hierarchy of what is good and what isn't? ''Sane'' being ''good'' while ''insane'' being ''bad''?
The psychopath may think he is sane and that it is the psychiatrist who is insane. But it's rather clear that it is the psychopath that is insane and the psychiatrist that is sane. In other words, the insanity of the psychopath is not relative whatever the psychopath himself may think.
What do you think?
Who sets an objective point of view? Is it you and I, or is it the psycopath?
And karma is relative, as well, depending on the religion you are in. You are treated according to your beliefs. If you believe that having four wives is the good and righteous thing, then you are a good man. If you believe that having four wives is breaking the hearts of four women, than you are a bad man. Just an example that came to my head.
Personally, I think that the psycopath is insane. But if you ask another psycopath, you'll get a totally different answer. Right now we live in a world where these things are an outrage, thanks Gods. But what would you believe, if you were brought up to think that killing and eating children is the norm?