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Secular And Psychological Understanding Of Evil.
Understanding the origins of evil without a god or satan.

Secular And Psychological Understanding Of Evil.

SinisterUrge
Misanthrope

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Posted 05/01/08 - 08:39 AM: Subject: Secular And Psychological Understanding Of Evil.	#1
Secular And Psychological Understanding Of Evil. A World Without Satan or God. In a world without god or satan where does evil come from? What exactly is evil? Does evil even exist? Evil to me is a cheap description we use conveniently to fill the gap of what is unknowable to us when others outside our perceived notions of normalcy become violent and destructive towards others of our own species where we lack the understanding of why such people act in such a manner that they do. Instead of trying to understand why individuals act violently, destructive, bitter and extremely intolerant of others through psychology most just label such people as evil heretical monsters where society conveniently pushes them aside into state sponsored prisons or execution grounds which is then called a great service of the people. By doing so nothing is solved in that no understanding of such people can be analysed yet the false sense of security by society is nonetheless achieved until the next episode where the cycle continues indefinately all over again. We call such individuals evil where we describe them as being monsters or inhuman but the reality as Nietzsche once said is that violent inclinations in men is all too human in that violent malicious emotions in people is apart of our nature not some supernatural independent entity that flows beyond ourselves. Then you have some secular psychologists and behaviour researchers who will describe evil as a genetical defect or flawed condition but is it really as such? There is nothing monsterous or inhuman about such people as they are all too human. There is no genetical defect or flawed psychological condition in such people as it is all too human. Is evil even useful in describing events? When Johnny picks up a gun and kills his entire family on a Sunday afternoon why do we say evil compelled him to do these acts where we embodie him as being transformed through evil? Why don't we just say psychological depression, rage or angst caused Johnny to kill his entire family at gunpoint instead? Wouldn't that be more logical? Then you have those who speak about total or pure evil. Is there even such a thing? People commit violent malicious acts for their own selfish benefit, greed, or success. I don't know of any scenario where people act out on violence just for the sheer pleasure of violence itself apart from myths and literature. In the end I think most people use the word evil because it symbolizes the enemy from within which is a great threat to many people but even more interesting it is a clever cheap description of calling others monsters or inhuman in that those speaking of so called evil in the back of their minds know that they themselves along with everybody else is fully capable of acting out on the same emotions that they condemn if they were put into a place of extreme desperation and hostility in contrast which rather ironically through dualisms in speaking about evil they hide in their metaphors to make themselves appear impervious towards others in such events. Edited by SinisterUrge on 05/01/08 - 08:44 AM
_____________________ The end justifies the means and given the relativity of existence the means can be anything. If there were objective values, then they would be entities or qualities or relations of a very strange sort, utterly different from anything else in the universe.

Mariner
Longing

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Posted 05/01/08 - 09:57 AM:	#2
Take a look at this book; it studies a lot of the issues raised by you. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684848597...
_____________________ "In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't." -- Blaise Pascal "The more I am by myself and alone, the more I have come to love myths" -- Aristotle in his later years

SinisterUrge
Misanthrope

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Posted 05/01/08 - 10:06 AM:	#3
Mariner wrote: Take a look at this book; it studies a lot of the issues raised by you. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684848597... Take a look at this book: The myth of evil. Demonizing the enemy. http://www.amazon.com/Myth-Evil-Demonizing-Enemy/...
_____________________ The end justifies the means and given the relativity of existence the means can be anything. If there were objective values, then they would be entities or qualities or relations of a very strange sort, utterly different from anything else in the universe.

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