Musa Hilal, Janajaweed leader and his 'alleged' handiwork, seen through children's drawings at the timeFascinating post by Norman Geras which there’s no point reprinting here but he asks the question of the title above – does evil exist as an entity or is it all due to sociological factors? Having looked in a little detail at the Sudan atrocities, pictured by children and those of Algeria and given my leaning towards a Christian explanation of evil, it would be clear where I stand.
Not wishing to debase the issue but seeing parallels in film, Darth Vader seems a case in point. Was he evil? He seems to have succumbed to it – the good made bad. But that still doesn’t resolve the question as to whether this is a mechanical human process or the result of mal-intent.
This question will not go away and will become more and more insistent on resolution as the next few years unfold for the world.
I'm probably being obtuse, but I'm genuinely puzzled. Norman Geras seems to sum up his point with
ReplyDeleteBut while it is essential to give these [social, political, ideological]conditions their appropriate explanatory weight (for we need to know when people are more likely and when they are less likely to behave in cruel and murderous ways), that doesn't meet, much less dispose of, the thesis that there are impulses towards evil within the human make-up. Without that inner potentiality, the conditions could not produce the forms of cruel behaviour which the human record contains in abundance.
How is that at all contentious, other, perhaps, that to some utopian social theorists? You don't need to be at all religious to recognise this; it's a truism of almost all psychology that we all have within us powerful urges towards destruction and cruelty, which we mostly manage to control or sublimate more or less successfully.
James,
ReplyDeleteVader is an interesting analogy.
Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader through the process otherwise known as mortal sin - he deliberately renounces good in favour of evil in order to get what he wants; the power to save Padme.
Having seen 'Revenge of the Sith' at least 50 times, it is clear from Hayden Christensens's performance of Vader's fall that HE KNOWS that the course on which he is embarking is wrong. HE KNOWS that Obi-Wan is not an enemy of the Republic; and yet he willingly rehashes Palpatine's rubbish about Jedi plots.
Even after he has surrendered himself to the dark side so completely that he has massacred his Jedi brethren in the temple and the Separatist leadership on Mustafar, he weeps - HE KNOWS that what he has done is wrong, but is still prepared to follow on that course.
He is undone by his arrogance, and thus becomes Palpatine's mechanical pawn. Having been ruthlessly merciless for two decades, his redemption is only achieved through having mercy shown to him by Luke.
Although 'hardened in sin' he does penance and achieves redemption by saving Luke (goodness) through destroying Palpatine (evil).
There could be a third alternative not considered: Evil is in the eye of the beholder.
ReplyDeleteI guess this might fall under "evil is sociological," but I doubt that many people look at their 'leaders' as evil. I doubt many members of the Baath party in Iraq saw Saddam as evil. I doubt that many Al Qaeda loyalists - and other Muslims committed to resisting Western neo-colonialism - see bin Laden as evil.
An unfortunately, I doubt many people who support President Bush in America see him as evil.
It may be that those that are victims of evil are the only ones that truly see it for what it is.
Which might mean that until the majority of people are victims, evil will continue in various forms.
These are some of the best comments I've seen on this site.
ReplyDeleteNorm: Yes, I feel Norm was trying to have a bit each way here and having stated his case, he softens it and resorts to nebulous language.
Martin, brilliant take and I agree completely but haven't seen it stated like that. It's a good analogy, I feel, even for Tony Blair - drawn into evil, he still hasn't redeemed himself but something will come up, as it did for Ford and Carter.
Will, it's very much in the eye of the beholder and yet there are some things still beyond the pale for most people. But those barriers are continueally being pushed back and what would never have been contemplated a decade ago is now par for the course.
Evil is in the eye of the beholder means evil is subjective. Evil,beauty,Truth,God and etc are to be experienced to be real. What you value is what you percieve. The reason you should resist not evil because evil is based on form and Spirit is Life. Spirit is never wounded by evil.
ReplyDelete