an online book by David Gurteen
Evil is the exercise of political power — that is, the imposition of one’s will upon others by overt or covert coercion — in order to avoid extending one’s self for the purpose of nurturing spiritual growth. Credit: Slightly adapted from a definition by M. Scott Peck
Evil, by one definition, is being bad and acting out morally incorrect behavior; or it is the condition of causing unnecessary pain and suffering, thus containing a net negative on the world.
Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness and against common good. It is generally seen as taking multiple possible forms, such as the form of personal moral evil commonly associated with the word, or impersonal natural evil (as in the case of natural disasters or illnesses), and in religious thought, the form of the demonic or supernatural/eternal. While some religions, world views, and philosophies focus on "good versus evil", others deny evil's existence and usefulness in describing people.
Evil can denote profound immorality, but typically not without some basis in the understanding of the human condition, where strife and suffering (cf. Hinduism) are the true roots of evil. In certain religious contexts, evil has been described as a supernatural force. Definitions of evil vary, as does the analysis of its motives. Elements that are commonly associated with personal forms of evil involve unbalanced behavior, including anger, revenge, hatred, psychological trauma, expediency, selfishness, ignorance, destruction and neglect.
In some forms of thought, evil is also sometimes perceived in absolute terms as the dualistic antagonistic binary opposite to good, in which good should prevail and evil should be defeated. In cultures with Buddhist spiritual influence, both good and evil are perceived as part of an antagonistic duality that itself must be overcome through achieving Nirvana. The ethical questions regarding good and evil are subsumed into three major areas of study: meta-ethics, concerning the nature of good and evil; normative ethics, concerning how we ought to behave; and applied ethics, concerning particular moral issues. While the term is applied to events and conditions without agency, the forms of evil addressed in this article presume one or more evildoers.
Credit: Wikipedia - evilGurteen Knowledge Blog August 3, 2021, 14:58Henry David Thoreau has had an enormous influence on me ever since I lived in Carlisle, Massachusetts, a few miles up the road from Concord and Walden Pond, where he wrote his book Walden. This quotation below from Walden has always strongly resonated with me. There are a thousand hacking … Continue reading Start Hacking at the Branches of Evil Making an impact
There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root, and it may be that he who bestows the largest amount of time and money on the needy is doing the most by his mode of life to produce that misery which he strives in vain to … Continue reading There Are a Thousand Hacking at the Branches of Evil Henry David Thoreau (1854)
There really are people and institutions made up of people, who respond with hatred in the presence of goodness and would destroy the good insofar as it is in their power to do so. They do this not with conscious malice but blindly, lacking awareness of their own evil — indeed, seeking to avoid any … Continue reading On Evil Scott Peck
The Road Less Traveled, first published in 1978, is a self-help and psychology book by M. Scott Peck. It covers topics like discipline, love, religion, and grace. The book’s overarching theme is that spiritual and psychological growth requires effort, or work, on the part of the individual. Peck argues that life is difficult and that … Continue reading The Road Less Traveled M. Scott Peck (1978)
Gurteen Knowledge Blog October 2, 2023, 12:58I love the work of Henry David Thoreau, particularly his book Walden. When, in the early 90s, I lived in Carlisle, Massachusetts, a few miles up the road from Concord, I often visited Walden Pond. It was and still is one of my favorite places in the world, and I took … Continue reading Hacking at the Branches of Evil Henry David Thoreau
The line between good and evil runs not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And … Continue reading The Line Between Good and Evil Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1958 – 1968)
