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Evil
OldEnglishtermyfeloriginallymeantdifficult tocontrol,orexcessive InMiddleEnglish,evilwasanadjective expressingdisapprovalordislike,synonymous withbad.Itdenotedanyharm committed, intended,orsuffered,regardlessofwhetherit wascausedbyhumansornot. InModernEnglish,evilisatermreserved exclusivelyforextrememoralwickedness (excessiveharmcausedbyhumans).

WhatisEvil?

RichardBernstein: TheAbuseofEvil
Briefaccountoftheological/religiousattemptstoaccount forevilintheWest. Theseeffortshavebeenobsessedwiththeproblemof evilorthetheodicyquestion:ifGodisallgood,all knowingandallpowerful,whyisthereevil?WhatisGods justice (theodicy)? justice(theodicy)? Manyanswershavebeenoffered: i)Godisnotresponsibleforevil;itishumanswhocommit eviloutoffreewill ii)evilisonlyanappearance;infactthereisnoevil,but everythingworksinaccordancewithGodsplan,even apparentevils iii)Godisnotallgood(Christianheresy)

RichardBernstein: TheAbuseofEvil
Beginningofmodernage:thinkersclassifiedevilsas eithernaturalormoral Naturalevils:thosethatoccurwithoutdirecthuman intervention(tornados,earthquakes,disease). Moralevils:thosethataretheresultofhumanintent. Modernthought:separatesnatureandmorality; evilwasnowconceivedsolelyasamoralcategory (SusanNeiman) Thiscallednaturalevilintoquestion.Istheresucha thing? Todaywerarelyspeakofnaturalevils;evilissomething onlyhumanscommit.

C.F.Alford:WhatEvilMeanstoUs
Alford:arguesagainstthemoderntradition,and claimsthatevilisnotprimarilyamoralcategory butanexperience. Evilisanexperienceofdread thedreadof beinghuman,vulnerable,aloneintheuniverse, anddoomedtodie. BruceSpringsteen(Nebraska):theresjusta meannessinthisworld. Alfordsdefinitionwouldseemtoincludethe dreadfulqualitiesofnature.

C.F.Alford:WhatEvilMeanstoUs
Alford:Doingevilisanattempttoevacuate thisexperiencebyinflictingitonothers, makingthemfeeldreadfulbyhurtingthem. In other words we harm others to gain power Inotherwords,weharmotherstogainpower overtheuncertaintiesofthisworld. Youconquerfearbybecomingfear(Tshirt)

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TypesofHumanEvil
Evilcommittedoutofselfishness. Evilcommittedoutofhatred. Evilcommittedoutofnegligenceandthoughtlessness. Passionateevil,committedintheheatofthemoment. Coldblooded,premeditatedevil,committedafter rationalplanning. Evilcommittedwithpleasure. Evilcommittedwithoutpleasure. Evilcommittedwithabadconscience. Evilcommittedwithoutaconscience.

RadicalEvil
RadicalEvil onanintimate/personallevel (psychopatharticle) RadicalEvil atthesocial/politicallevel (Bernsteinarticle) (Bernstein article)

PsychopathsAmongUs RobertHercz
Dr.RobertHare:worldsforemostexperton psychopathology(orsociopathology). Developedadiagnostictesttodetermineifa personhaspsychopathictendencies:the person has psychopathic tendencies: the PsychopathyChecklist(PCLR)

PsychopathsAmongUs RobertHercz
Significanttraitsofpsychopaths: 1)alackofconscience 2)hugeegos 3) short tempers 3)shorttempers 4)appetiteforexcitement 5)majorityaremale 6)hightoleranceforpain 7)alackofempathyforothers

PsychopathsAmongUs RobertHercz
Hare: Claimsapsychopathisnottheresultofabad upbringing. Hisbrainiswireddifferently:bornwithouta conscienceorsenseofempathy. p y Ifso,thenhowcanapsychopathbeheldmorally responsibleforhisactions?Moralchoicedepends uponempathy,conscienceandfreewill. Isthepsychopathahumanformofnaturalevil? Traditionalpsychotherapydoesntworkonthe psychopath.Aretheybeyondrehabilitation?

RichardBernstein: TheAbuseofEvil
Post 9/11:lotsoftalkaboutevilinthemedia. Experienceofevilshouldprovokethinkingaboutevil. Thisdidnothappenafter9/11. Inpoliticalandreligiousdiscourse,evilwasusedasanabsolute categorytolabelenemies. Insteadofthinkingaboutevil,thisdiscourseactuallystifled Instead of thinking about evil this discourse actually stifled thinking. Totrytospeakaboutgoodorevilwithsubtletyornuancewas perceivedaswavering,relativism,weaknessorindecision. Youhadtochooseaside!(Usortheterrorists!Thefaithfulorthe infidels!) Goodandevilwerepresentedasabsolute,blackandwhite categories.(SamanthaPower pg247)

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GeorgeW.Bush
Eitheryouarewithusorwiththeterrorists.
Sept.20,2001

OsamabinLaden
WithGodspermissionwecalloneveryonewho believesinGodandwantsrewardtocomplywith HiswilltokilltheAmericanswhereverand whenevertheyfindthem.Wealsocallonthe religiousscholars,theirleaders,theiryouth,and religio s scholars their leaders their o th and theirsoldiers,tolaunchtheraidonthesoldiersof Satan,theAmericans,andwhicheverdevils supportersarealliedwiththem,toroutthose behindthemsothattheywillnotforgetit.
Feb.23,1998

Weareinaconflictbetweengoodandevil,and Americawillcallevilbyitsname.
June 1 2002 June1,2002

Thereisnoneutralgroundinthefightbetween goodandevil.
March19,2004

Ourresponsibilitytohistoryisalreadyclear:to answertheseattacksandridtheworldofevil.
Sept.14,2001

RichardBernstein: TheAbuseofEvil
Bernstein: Wantstodevelopanuancedaccountofgoodandevil thatisneitherabsolutist norrelativist. Absolutism:thereisonecompleteunderstandingof Absolutism: there is one complete understanding of goodandevilthatcanbeperceivedbyhumansand enforced. Relativism:understandingsofgoodandevilare completelysubjective relativetotheindividualor culture.Strictlyamatterofopinion. Bernsteinasksustoavoidbothofthese.

RichardBernstein: TheAbuseofEvil
HannahArendt1906 1975 Thoughtthatthe Holocaustand totalitarianismwould provokethinkingabout evil. Sheisconcernedwith radicalevilinpolitics.
www.library.gmu.edu

RichardBernstein: TheAbuseofEvil
RadicalEvil:makinghumanbeingssuperfluous as humanbeings. Superfluous:morethanrequired,excessive, unnecessary,obsolete Inthetwentiethcentury,millionsofhumanswerethe victimsofgenocide,massmurder,andcrimesagainst humanity.Thissuggestsatypeofconsciousnessthat viewssomehumansassuperfluous. Thishappenswhenyoutrytokillplurality,spontaneity, andunpredictabilityinhumanbeings.

RichardBernstein: TheAbuseofEvil
Arendt:Threestagesbywhichhumansarerendered superfluous: 1)Killthejuridicalinhumans.Legalrightsarelost. 2)Killthemoralpersoninhumans.Impossiblefora persontoprotestorevenbeamartyr. person to protest or even be a martyr 3)Killallindividuality thepowerforapersontostart somethingnewfromhisownresources. Theconcentrationcampsarethemostextreme expressionofrenderinghumanssuperfluous.

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RichardBernstein: TheAbuseofEvil
Arendtsmostcontroversialpoint: Mostofthepeopleresponsibleforradicalevil inthe20th Centurydidnotactfromevilintent. This calls into question one of our most central Thiscallsintoquestion oneofourmostcentral andentrenchedmoralandlegalconvictions: namelythatpeoplewhodoevildeedsmusthave evilmotivesandintentions.Theyarevicious, sadistic,orwicked.
Bernstein,p7

RichardBernstein: TheAbuseofEvil
Arendt:struckbythethoughtlessnessand banalmotivesofmostofthoseinvolvedin perpetratingtheHolocaust. For Arendt this did not mean they were not ForArendt,thisdidnotmeantheywerenot responsiblefortheiractions. Still,thisdidnotcorrespondtotraditional understandingsofevil.

RichardBernstein: TheAbuseofEvil
Thesadtruthofthematteristhatmostevil isdonebypeoplewhonevermadeuptheir mindstobeortodoeitherevilorgood
Arendt

RichardBernstein: TheAbuseofEvil
Bernstein:Evilisprotean constantly changingthewayitmanifestsitself.

Arendtwouldcallthisthebanalityofevil.