The Way I Perceive the Evil - Essay Example

(Chan, 1996) Ancient civilizations of Greek and Rome have also developed the concepts about good and evil, where bravery, generosity, wisdom and physical strength etc were the signs of goodness, while deceit, voracity, pride and treachery etc were regarded as evil deeds. (Thomas & Thomas, 2002) Hence, the feelings and actions causing harm to others were evil, while the activities observed with positive intention and welfare of others were thought to be good. Theories were articulated and laws were introduced to save human societies from harm (and evil).

I, personally, have developed some concept of evil and its activities in my social and natural surroundings, in the light of my knowledge about the same in the light of religious belief and philosophical theories on the one hand, and in the light of my interaction with my social environment on the other. The evil is, in my view, presents in every human society from the very beginning of the life on the earth, which assures its existence through its condemnable actions and disgraceful intentions.

I have also developed belief in the Nature theory of good and evil that the evil and criminals (or evils) enter the world with innate characteristics of committing offences and getting indulged into perversions and deviancies of various kinds; the same can be witnessed in Lombroso’s theory, which observes similarity in the shape of the skull, eyes, jaws and bones of the offenders. (Vedder et al., 1976) The offenders, in my opinion, commit crimes and hurt others because of pecuniary gains and social, financial and political benefits on the one hand, and for their amusement and recreational purposes on the other, due to the very reality that they feel happy on finding others in trouble and desolation.

Somehow, the theorists present different motifs behind harming the fellow-beings. I strongly maintain unflinching faith in the very notion that evil is practiced because of the devil’s committer’s false belief that he is justified in hurting the weak and innocent individuals either under some command or instinct or just for the sake of pleasure; Kekes, Acorn, St. Augustine, Kant and Milton also assert the same to one level or the other (Adolf, 2006: 13-15). Kekes declares the offender as sadist, which seeks mental or sexual gratification by hurting the helpless.

On the other hand, Acorn argues that people practice cruelty and torture on others due to the very fact that they are amused and entertained out of the cries and moaning of others. Similarly, St. Augustine writes that people do bad things in the pursuit of an apparent good. Thus, these distinguished intellectuals are in consensus on the notion that harm is inflicted on others in pursuit of one’s personal gratification. However, eminent English poet of all times John Milton submits to state the satanic forces inflict sufferings out of envy and jealousy against the powers of good and virtue.

Additionally, Kant takes evil as the way in which morality is corrupted by desire. In simple words, human desires corrupt and destroy moral values prevailing within the social establishment. (Alford, 2006:16) I also agree with the precious scholarly views of these intellectuals,