I’ve never met anyone who considered themselves to be evil. Most people I’ve met are trying to do good, even if they aren’t 💯 sure how.
Discussion
I unfortunately have
I know they are out there, just been fortunate to avoid them so far I guess 🤷♂️
I understand what you are saying, but as someone who does not readily accept the model of good/evil or right/wrong, i find it interesting that just about everyone I have met believes they have done evil, or at least wrong. Isn't that precisely what the religious are saying with the concept of original sin? Shit way to see yourself, if you ask me.
Yea I agree with that. Original sin or not people think they do evil things at times, though I don’t believe they think they are evil at their core. I would fall into this camp for sure. I guess maybe I should restate.
I’ve never met anyone who did not think they had never perpetrated evil actions even while not feeling they were evil themselves.
I really think most people are trying to do good even while they acknowledge deep flaws that may or may not be evil in nature.
I actually didn't have an issue with your original statement, and was just digging at something adjacent to it.
Your new statement has a lot of negatives in it, but I think can be summed up as people think they are at least trying to be good, most of the time.
And if you are thinking within the framework of good/bad, right/wrong, as most people are, then you're probably right.
I generally reject this framework, and believe people act to achieve what they perceive to be a "better" future state.
But "better" is very subjective; could be very self-serving, could appear to be sacrificial. Could be self-effacing. And it is all dependent on the actor's perceptions, which are not really knowable.
In the right/wrong framework, this easily becomes doing something wrong for the right reasons, but just as easily could be doing something right for the wrong reasons.
And in the right/wrong framework, right and wrong generally refer to the group, the community, the society, and how the actor's action affects that group, rather than how the action affects the actor.
People tend to be social and seek comfort within groups, and so generally act in ways that will meet the approval of the group, and so act "right" or "good". Long way to get here, but we get to the same place.
Have you ever met someone you consider to be evil?
Had to think about that pretty hard but no I have not met someone I would consider to be an evil person. Met people who have done evil shit for sure, but I would not consider them to be evil themselves.
That is my conclusion too. Sometimes the motivation is difficult to see, understand, or relate to, but there is always a rationale. We’re all just biological machines responding to impetus through a unique personal lens.
I’m sure serial killers somehow justify their actions to themselves.
I often wonder about this. I don’t deny evil to be real, I just wonder at the root cause. Let’s assume there is a moral base layer.
If you don’t understand the base layer and commit evil out of ignorance, does that make you evil?
If you understand and disagree with the base layer, and thus commit evil in someone else’s eyes but not your own, does that make you evil?
If you understand and agree with the base layer of morality, yet willingly ignore and cross the base layer, does that make you evil?
I don’t think any one instance of these makes anyone evil to the core, however depending on your true mindset this would determine the evilness of the action. I do think there are those who are evil to the core (or as close to humanly possible to such a perfect evilness) but I have never met such a person myself. Like I said most people I’ve met are good people when you get past all the posturing.
Keep in mind, I have absolutely no authority to speak of such things…these are merely the thoughts of an unremarkable middle aged man trying to understand things beyond his limited comprehension 😂
Will reply later.
I do think some people are born with capacity or potential to be evil; a biological component .
Like people born without empathy and can’t feel things properly. A kid who enjoys hurting animals is a sign of it, being intentionally cruel, etc.
If “the bad seed” (seen film) grew up in an abusive (physically, emotionally, usually both) environment, I think they are much more likely to act on their evilness.
The TV series “Dexter” is interesting cuz he’s a serial killer but has a personal code that he follows.
To me this would be an inability to understand the moral base layer. They aren’t willfully crossing the base layer, they just don’t understand or aren’t built to understand. The acts themselves are evil but is the person evil?
Now imagine a person who knows these acts are evil but does them regardless. This to me is more evil than the person who does them out of a lack of understanding because they know what they are doing is evil but elect to do it anyway.
Thank God that I am not God and don’t have to make these judgements.