Do you believe in evil?

[Wire]

Yes, that is exactly what I meant. It seems like an easy way of explaining good and evil, but from what I see it, it's mainly setting someone up as a scapegoat.

I do not think it is possible for someone to be a physical embodiment of anything, but especially not evil. The Bad Seed is something that could only exist in literature, as it is common for a writer to use a character to represent a major theme.

The reason I do not think a bad seed is possible is due to how humans work. Humans are forged by their instinctual human nature and their environmental influences. For example, if someone is often betrayed, then they will become an isolated and guarded individual. No matter what happens to a person, I think there's always a twinkle of hope or optimism that represents their true self. That true self is often bogged down with baggage and emotional scars, or is at the mercy of ignorance or misinterpretation as a result of emotional impulsiveness. Really, any number of things can affect how a person develops. I just don't think it's feasible for someone to become a literal embodiment of evil, for humans are far more complicated.

 

[Dreaded_Desire62]

I do not think it is possible for someone to be a physical embodiment of anything, but especially not evil. The Bad Seed is something that could only exist in literature, as it is common for a writer to use a character to represent a major theme.

The reason I do not think a bad seed is possible is due to how humans work. Humans are forged by their instinctual human nature and their environmental influences. For example, if someone is often betrayed, then they will become an isolated and guarded individual. No matter what happens to a person, I think there's always a twinkle of hope or optimism that represents their true self. That true self is often bogged down with baggage and emotional scars, or is at the mercy of ignorance or misinterpretation as a result of emotional impulsiveness. Really, any number of things can affect how a person develops. I just don't think it's feasible for someone to become a literal embodiment of evil, for humans are far more complicated.

You're probably right. But, whenever you mention that question to the people that I've met. They will ask you, "What about Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin? Weren't they pure evil? How else do you explain the heinous things they did and the numerous of lives they destroyed? How can anyone in good conscious ever be that corrupt?"

It seems like they go off of emotion.

 

[Wire]

You're probably right. But, whenever you mention that question to the people that I've met. They will ask you, "What about Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin? Weren't they pure evil? How else do you explain the heinous things they did and the numerous of lives they destroyed? How can anyone in good conscious ever be that corrupt?"

It seems like they go off of emotion.

An embodiment of evil, to me, not only commits evil acts but also enjoys committing them. He or she goes out of their way to harm others and will do so whenever possible. Human beings are never, ever this one-dimensional. Hitler believed he was doing the world a favor, as he had a twisted moral world view. He is just a worse case of the way Europeans viewed Africans and Native Americans. Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy were victims of mental disorder. That doesn't excuse their killing people, but it does explain the motive behind it. It wasn't so much a desire to harm others or a joy in being evil, but more so a psychological urge to hurt others; an urge they thought they could not control.

 

[Geotrix1]

The definition of evil is hard due to different cultures/beliefs viewing the term differently.
In terms of the general definition of evil though that most of us understand (which I guess can tie into sinning etc.) I believe that it is based on your environment/how you are raised. No one is born 'evil' but you can very much be conditioned to be so given the right circumstances.

 

[Dreaded_Desire62]

When I hear the term evil, a couple comes to mind: Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo.

I don't see what they got out of what they did.

 

[redcrown]

I wholeheartedly think evil is needed in the world, I'm selling my soul to Satan as I type.

 

[Dreaded_Desire62]

I honestly don't know what is with some people. I recently had some messed up stuff that happened last week namely in the murder of a ten-year-old girl named Victoria Martens, she pretty much was murdered by her mother and two other people here in the city in which I live. I don't get how they could do what they did to her, especially the day before her own birthday.