What is the meaning of Evil? How do you define it? What makes for an evil character? What is its source? Are we all evil, and is this . . . expected . . . normal? Is it as simple as selfish, self-centered pride, as grandiose as genocide?
What was God getting at when he told Cain that Sin (e.g., Evil) crouches outside his door and desires him, but that Man must master it? Is British poet W. H. Auden in agreement when he wrote, "Evil is . . . always human and shares our bed and eats at our own table"?
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ReplyDeleteEvil is, by definition, “profoundly immoral and malevolent”, a statement that begs another question: what are the boundaries one must stay within to be considered “moral”? Because morals are typically something personally derived, I believe that a true definition of evil can vary from person to person. For example, if a person is more lenient with determining what is moral versus immoral, they are more likely to be lenient with their definition of evil as well. On the other hand, one with stricter morals will also have a strict definition of evil. Evil can be sourced from many things, but a few main sources are discontent and a lack of self-respect. When one is unsatisfied with their current situation, they are more likely to turn to evil acts or thoughts to achieve change. To make matters worse, a lack of self-respect causes a disregard for the response of others to their actions. When people have respect for themselves, they typically take into account for how people think of them, thus encouraging them to act with a good conscience. Evil is something that, in my opinion, is naturally rooted in everyone but also something that can be repressed by strong-willed people. It is when one has weak morals and does not see it rewarding to maintain the respect of others that they break down and let the evil consume them. It is quite a simple concept; due to the fact that evil can come in all forms. Evil does not need to come in such immense, Satan-like amounts, it can in fact appear in small, sometimes unnoticeable quantities. Both God and W.H. Auden were getting at essentially the same point: that evil is an ever-present part of our lives, almost to the point that it finds itself in every aspect of the human life. Most of the time this evil goes unnoticed because man has gotten so used to its presence in their lives. When God says that “Man must learn to master it”, He is implying that man must learn how to overcome this ever-present evil and choose the more honorable side of the equation.
ReplyDeleteEvil is difficult to define because it is inherently subjective. The most common interpretation is a person or action that deliberately seeks to harm others, but there are very few if situations that truly fit this criteria. Archetypical evil characters in literature may seem to act selfishly, but they almost always do so for the benefit of others. Satan in Paradise Lost sought to improve the lives of other fallen angels, Jack in Lord of the Flies killed in order to create a society for his followers to survive, and even Cersei Lannister acts out of the interest of her children. These characters' reasons do not justify their crimes, although it sheds light on the objective fact that sacrifices are often interpreted for evil; some acts are harder to justify than others, but there will always be a reason behind it. Pure evil is reserved for the psychopaths of society; that's the only situation where someone harms others for truly no reason. When W. H. Auden wrote "Evil is … always human and shares our bed and eats at our own table," he states that evil is part of human nature, and that we are constantly being tempted by it. However, every person is also chooses to fight against evil, and we do not succumb unless it is for a higher cause.
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ReplyDeleteEvil, according to dictionary.com, is “morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked.” Evil to me is the idea of just absolute bad. I think of something or someone just completely surrounded by sin to the point where there is nothing good in it or them. I think an evil character does not have to be necessarily “evil.” I think to create an evil character they just have to be the antagonist. Such as the Darth Vader is almost always labeled as “evil,” but he does have good in him. This is visible in the last episode he saves his son from dying. I think the source of evil is sin, and if you let your life become taken over by sin, you will slowly become evil. I do not think that we are all evil by nature. I think we are born innocent and good, but through temptation(sin) can slowly become evil. I think true evil is something along the lines of the holocaust or September 11th, but the roots of it begin in selfishness or pride. I think what God meant when he said to Cain that Sin crouches outside his door and desires him, but that Man must master it is that temptation will always be there, but humans must learn to resist the temptations and try to stay on a righteous path. When British poet W.H. Auden said “Evil is…always human and shares our bed and eats at our own table,” I believe he is agreeing with God. He is giving a similar message that Sin(Evil) is always around us. It is in our own homes, it is in our beds. Humans goal in life must be to control ourselves and not give into Sin.
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ReplyDeleteEvil is defined as immoral and intentionally malevolent, but this makes evil relative based upon the relative morals of an individual or society. We are taught our morals, right from wrong, by those who raise us and the ideas that are instilled in us by the society around us. Some cultures/ families value violence, power, greed, and revenge over serenity, peace, and humility. Those who have been raised with these beliefs tend to be seen as immoral by outsiders, but are not in their own culture. Therefore the line between good and evil varies from person to person and is less of a line and more of a grey area. I believe evil comes from not being raised to see a difference between right and wrong. Man is born not knowing the difference, but looks to those around him to admonish him when he has done something evil and to reward him when he has done something that is perceived as good. We are expected to make mistakes and we are expected to correct our behavior based upon these mistakes that we have made. If we never make a correction and continue with immoral behavior then we become evil. I believe this is what Go d is getting at when he talks to Cain. We always have a choice between wrong and right, so we must master the art of telling the wrong choice from the right one and making the morally right decision. If we open the door to the wrong choice then we have let evil in and no longer have control over it. The option to choose evil will always be with us and we are only stopped by the morals instilled in us to stay away from evil.
ReplyDeleteI think that evil is a product of society. An evil person is defined by the moral code of which their community operates. For example, during the time of the Vikings, raping and pillaging may have been seen as a norm amongst the Scandinavian people. However, now, and to the countries who were the victims of their actions, they would be considered evil. It is all in the eye of the beholder. However, on that note, there is a general moral code that a majority of modern society follows. It will differ some from place to place, but some examples of universal sins are killing, lying, cheating, stealing. I think perhaps, especially because Christianity is such a dominant religion, in not only the United States, but many other regions of the world, that the books of the bible have defined many of the things in society’s moral code. As far as the nature of man, I think that we are all born with many of these evils naturally engrained in us. I believe that man is an animal. We are beings whose instincts are to fight for survival, and in many cases that included many of today’s “evils”. The purpose that humanity has made for itself is to find ways around these defined evils, and learn to survive without having to “stoop” to those levels. Many would describe actions such as killing and stealing as actions that were common amongst our ancestors: the cavemen and the Neanderthals. Beings who were far more in tune with their animalistic selves. This is further evidence that humans are not naturally without evil. We had to be civilized. Evils had to be declared, and the bible was the means by which a lot of that happened. When God told Cain that sin crouches outside his door, he was referring his animalistic nature. His survival instincts which have been repressed by civilization. Same goes for W. H. Auden. The nature of man will never be eliminated. We even see it from time to time in those who break the law. The homeless man stealing from the store. The husband in debt killing the man who he owes money too. The purpose that humanity has bestowed upon man is mastering that naturalistic state.
ReplyDeleteWhen people think of evil they usually think of something that is morally wrong or sinful. In the bible for example, evil is considered anything that goes against the Holy nature of God. There are two sorts of evil: natural evil and moral evil. Many antagonists in books and plays project moral evil. An evil character is someone who is trying to wrong the right and knows that they’re doing wrong. Fictional characters are not the only beings considered to be evil, everyday people can be wrong and unjust as well. W.H. Auden’s quote proves that God was correct when he told Cain that he must master the devil. This verse is very real in the fact that all men have an inevitable evil side yet one has to learn to control it.
ReplyDeleteIn accordance to the Oxford Dictionary, evil is defined as “profoundly immoral and malevolent.” I would attribute being evil to having malice, or intention to harm. Thus, in order to be classified as as evil in character, one must intentionally seek to grieve or hurt another being. There are many perspectives with regards to the true nature of man, in attempts to answer the question of whether man is naturally evil. Some, like Thomas Hobbes, would gladly assert that all men in innately evil, while others, like John Locke and Jean Rousseau would disagree with such an assertion. If we hold that man is not innately evil, then we must discern the external sources that instigate evil within man. The seven deadly sins that are mentioned in the scripture can be used as a foundation for evil if they are pursued to a degree that will harm others. In society, there is an expectation that people act in accordance to a collective moral code, which would make it seem as though acting in an evil manner is an unexpected occurrence, even though studies have shown that acting with malice is a normal occurrence depending on the situation (zimbardo prison). This goes to show that all humans have the capacity to act in an evil manner, yet not all people succumb to the urges that lead to the act of evil. This is the message that God was relaying to Cain when he told him that evil crouches outside man’s door and even desires him, but that Man must learn to master it. Man, according to the scriptures, is created in God’s image and is deemed more noble than the beasts of nature, in fact, he is gifted dominion over them. To show that he is worthy of this title of higher caliber, man must be able to contain himself and not succumb to worldly urges to sin and do evil, even though evil is consistently tempting him. Thus, although all men have the capability within them to act in an evil manner, as British poet W. H. Auden puts it, Evil is . . . always human and shares our bed and eats at our own table", but because of man’s nature, he equipt with the power to resist the urge to to evil, and be an upstanding human being.
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ReplyDeleteEvil is typically seen as the opposite of good, something that's, "profoundly immoral and malevolent." Giving a specific definition for this is difficult, because morality usually differs on a person-to-person basis. But this also raises an interesting question. There could be people out there that lack a moral consciousness or are not as sympathetic as others (whether it's the direct result of a mental illness or something else). Because of that, I feel there are different types of evils. Personal evils are things you are against. Societal evils are things society as whole is against, whether it be via law or the scorning of unacceptable behavior. Religious evils are things God has deemed unholy or inexcusable (these are the most permanent and least fluid evils). All three can overlap or they cannot, it depends on the person you are, government you live under, and religion you follow. A character isn't rendered evil just because they have done evil. In fact, the protagonist often shows aspects of evil in him/her as well. What makes a character evil, in the context of the novel, is mostly the obstructing of the protagonist, often to satisfy themselves and fulfill their own selfish needs. The hero is usually seen as the one who gives up their well-being to fight alongside a greater purpose.
ReplyDeleteI believe we are all evil, but, in the same sense, we are all good. The one you'll be associated with is whichever side you let outweigh the other. Everyone has the capacity to do evil; it's something impossible to avoid during your lifetime. You're simply born with it. Since evil is essentially a human-made concept (unless you are speaking of religious evils), it has to be within your capabilities. Humans from prehistory hadn't seen themselves as evil when they stole from and killed off neighboring tribes. This was fair game to them. Now, we do consider it evil, despite them living prior to our understanding of morals. This suggests evil transcends people and time. Hundreds of years in the future, I'm sure they will look back on us and see our society as doing something evil that will no longer be commonplace. A more recent example is the segregation present in the '60s. Just as societies change, people change with them. Not everybody who lived in the earlier half of the 20th century and supported different infrastructures for white and blacks, still do (although some could).
I do feel something as simple as selfishness could be evil. Evil is more like a scale, one end of the spectrum lies on the border of good; the other stretches to extreme acts such as murder and torture and whatever else humans can possibly do. Even different murders could yield a different type of evil. It's different to kill someone to avenge a family member than to kill someone for your entertainment (like a serial killer).
I touched on it above, but everyone is born with the ability to commit evil. It's your responsibility to take control of yourself and carry out evil things as infrequent as possible. You can't 100% prevent it, but you can always strive to be a better person. That's essentially what God is getting at.
The concept of evil seems somewhat hidden in Paradise Lost. Although Satan is in almost all situations characterized as evil, he’s portrayed as a character that is easy to sympathize with it. Traditionally, the meaning of evil is anything that is highly immoral or seeks to create more bad forces in a given situation. Although this definition of evil calls into question what is immoral, notions of immorality are generally understood and so I don’t think it’s necessary to delve into this avenue of thought. Intrinsically, it’s evident that all humans have some evil forces inside them. Although most don’t act upon these evil intentions buried within, it’s arguable that they are still present. Humans don’t have the capability to stray away from evil notions such as greed, laziness, envy, etc. as all humans are subconsciously striving to survive; this concept of self-preservation is a selfish one. While it’s true that people do have evil within, I don’t think this automatically makes all humans evil. To roughly generalize it, an evil person is one who creates more harmful and evil forces than good.; granted, certain actions are more evil than others. How far an action has strayed from moral bounds determine the magnitude of an evil act committed. Therefore, simply because a person occasionally acts on selfish interests doesn’t mean that they’re an evil person.
ReplyDeleteGod’s word accurately portrayed the evil within man when he warned Cain of the evil and sin within. While the temptation of sin is an integral element of mankind, it’s the responsibility of righteous people to avoid such acts. Cain certainly felt envy towards Abel’s good fortune, but a just, righteous man would have avoided the temptation to act upon this envy. Although more information about Auden’s poem is needed to certainly discern whether he agrees, it’s evident that Auden acknowledges the evil temptations within man. He describes evil as such a common part of man as it even accompanies him whilst he’s asleep and also eating dinner. Evil temptations are at the heart of human’s because we’re meant to prioritize our own preservation, yet it’s up to non-evil people to fight these temptations and act in alliance with their morals.
Evil is defined as morally reprehensible or arising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct by Merriam Webster Dictionary. I define it as intentionally causing harm to someone or doing something that is against your morals. With this being said, an evil character is made by a character fitting the definition of evil. This is a character that will not hesitate to harm, will engage in trickery, and does morally wrong things. The source is usually from a desire for power, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to gain power. I believe that humans are inherently good, but I feel like the more commonly held viewpoint is that we are all evil and this is normal because all humans are inherently bad. This is evidenced by Thomas Hobbes who wrote that the state of human nature is evil. I do not believe that it is as simple as selfish self-centered pride, although pride does play a big role in evil because some people cannot get over their own ego. I believe that the desire for power plays a bigger role in evil, because power is a very intoxicating feeling, and when you will do anything to gain power, you will become evil. God was implying that evil is always present and that it is very easy to sin, and there will be a desire to sin, but that man must resist this desire and he must live a sin-free life. British poet W.H. Auden is in agreement when he wrote that evil is always human and shares our bed and eats at our own table because he is also saying that evil is always present in our lives and that it is very easy to commit evil acts because it’s ever-present.
ReplyDeleteThe meaning of evil is purely relative and depends completely on how you define good. In the case of Paradise Lost, I believe that Milton defines good as God. Thus, as humans who sin, we are all at least partially evil. Our separation from God, our direct disobedience, Milton argues, is what leads to the evil within us. Satan is the ultimate evil character in Paradise Lost because his only purpose is to act in full opposition of God.
ReplyDeleteIn our society, I think we tend to see the opposite of good as bad, which definitely carries a less negative connotation than evil. This seems to suggest that there is something better that good; however, for the purposes of this discussion, I will assume that the opposite of good is evil, and that there is no higher moral superior to good. Evil is doing bad without a morally justifiable reason. As flawed individuals, we are all a mix of good and evil. We all have lied, cheated, or stolen to advance ourselves at the expense of others. This sometimes appears to be the easy way out. What we sometimes fail to realize is that following these evil instincts often creates more problems. On the flipside, we have all helped out others for no other reason than to help make the world a better place. I believe that there is a constant struggle within all of us between what is good and what is evil. I think this is what God is saying when he speaks to Cain about the nature of evil. Evil is always present, and our lives are ultimately defined by what we choose.
Evil is the general concept of going against what you deem as morally correct or good. The general effect that evil has on people is harm, whether it is emotional or physical harm, evil always results in a net negative effect on the world as a whole. Specifically, evil most be an action that the actor knows to have ill effects on others, but for his own personal gain decides to still act on it. The source of evil is, in my opinion, the good in the world. Without a concept of what is good in the world, there would be nothing to compare a supposed evil action to. Evil is the converse to good, so if there is no good, then there can be no evil. However, in our culture there is an ingrained law or idea of what is morally good to do in most situations, and because of this evil is extant. The range of evil’s magnitude is vast, both a small selfish action to the large action of genocide are all considered evil. The difference between the two is that one is orders of magnitude more evil than the other. What becomes confusing, is when one defines a small act of net negative consequences as not evil simply due to the fact that it is so much less evil relative to other actions. In truth, even the smallest actions of net negativity are evil, but the stigma of calling it evil prevent it from being accurately described as so.
ReplyDeleteIn the quotes above, what both God and Auden seem to be getting at is that evil is something that is always present in humans, and the only thing that keeps it at bay is the decision of the human to not act on evil temptations. As stated above, good is the source of evil, so although every human may be overwhelmingly good, there is also the seedlings to evil within them. Because of this, God warns Cain to master Sin, in an effort to reign in that seedling of evil before it can sprout into something of serious consequence.
Evil can probably be better defined by what it is not than by what it is. As mentioned by many people above evil is normally looked at as the opposite of good, but choosing the path that is against good or hindering the actions of good when faced with temptation may better define evil. This is evident in Paradise Lost both in the embodiment of Satan and in some of the actions of man. God is the omnipotent creator who (as mentioned in Genesis) is pleased that his creation is “good”. Everything that God creates he attempts to make good and in allowing Satan to escape hell and continue to rebel against him, he creates the division between Satan’s evil to His good. Satan on the other hand has devoted his life to the attempted thwarting of God’s good plans. He states “to aught to do good will never be our task…, and out of good still find means to our evil.” Satan recognizes the fact he is evil because all his and his demons further actions are to either to give into the temptation of sin or attempt to lead others into the temptation of sin. When man falls, he gives into the temptation of the apple and by giving into the temptation defies the goodness of God and evil is introduced. The source of evil is temptation and due to the fall of Adam and of the human nature, we are all drawn towards evil and temptation. We are not inherently evil, for it is God’s plan for us to do his will and be good, for only the righteous shall sit with Him in heaven, but a part of us exists that wants to give into the temptation of evil. It is in the denial of the temptation and in spreading good to others that one asserts their good nature and obeys God. When God speaks to Cain he states that evil is always present amongst man and that some people will fall to evil, but it serves as a warning for man to watch out and spread the good of God and resist temptations.
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ReplyDeleteThe book definition of evil is “morally bad; wicked.” I think that evil is defined differently in the eyes of every individual, and that they define evil based on their morals and what they think is good. Every person is born into the world with no previous knowledge or experiences. Therefor no one is naturally evil. Just like everyone has different definitions of evil, people become evil in their own ways due to specific events that occur in their lives. I agree with W.H. Auden because it is impossible to shield oneself from all things evil, inevitably something will happen that will influence an individual in a negative/evil way, and it is up to the individual to decide how much it will affect them. I think that is what God was trying to explain to Cain.
ReplyDeleteWe are all comprised of good and evil, but what is the true definition of evil? Evil is something that is profoundly immoral and malevolent, according to the dictionary, but my take on evil is not necessarily a small sin someone may have committed, but something far more destructive and depraved. Though I perceive evil as a large sin one commits to harm or punish others, many people believe evil can be an act of wrong doing. I do not believe that everyone is evil, nor do I believe that people are born evil. The act of evil has to stem from a source, which are three key components: greed, money, and power. Take it from Paradise Falls, Satan was born an angel- one of the most powerful- and he committed a sinful act against God, which lead him to his banishment.
ReplyDeleteWhen God explained to Cain that “sin crouches outside his door and desires him, but that Man must master it…”, it is conclusive that God was stating how evil surrounds us everyday. Even though we may be unaware of its presence, many capitulate to it. It is Man’s job to master evil, and by doing that Man can not succumb to its existence. God and W.H. expresses how evil will always be present and apart of basic human nature. Evil will always remain, but it is our job to overcome evil and not let it prevail.
Evil is immorality and the lack or destruction of good. All of these terms however are, to a degree, subjective. This is why the best evil character is the one who opposes the general understanding of good and morality. Furthermore, Milton suggests that evil doesn't have a source, but is naturally found in the creations of heaven. Everyone has evil inside of them, but this does not make everyone evil. Someone can have evil inside of them, but only uphold and follow the good and moral traits in their personality and not give into or feed evil. The basic sinful qualities are wrath, greed, sloth, pride, envy, lust, and gluttony. The more these qualities are ingrained in a person's personality the more evil they are.
ReplyDeleteFurther, God meant to tell Cain that sin will always tempt you and will never stop tempting you, so you must master the ability to resist sin. W. H. Auden is in agreement with this quote. To say that evil eats at our table and sleeps in our bed is to say that evil is inside of us. However, one part that Auden leaves out is that humans must not let evil overtake them in their sleep or feed into evil at the dinner table.
My definition of evil is intentional malevolent behavior that is repeated and not just singular, odd event. True evil is exactly this, but a lesser evil falls along the lines of pranking, cracking mean jokes, and the behavior of young children and teenagers. Also, time is another factor that influences the definition of evil. Usually, truly evil people are deliberate and will stop at nothing to accomplish their goal. A evil character is one who engages in activities that are purposefully meant to harm another. This includes murder, exploitation, and other similar activities. Evil’s source is rather complicated, as it is a mixture of overreaction, a seeking of “justice” and vengeance, as well as a solution that only makes sense in the short term. People or characters that are evil attempt to hurt other intentionally, unlike a prankster who tries to solicit laughs out of others. I feel that humans have a sense of evil within each other. An example of this is Schadenfreude, which is the German word for taking pleasure in the misfortune of others. Most humans can safely say that they have laughed at another person when they tripped, dropped or spilled something, or got in trouble. This falls under the category of lesser evil, but most humans are not truly evil. Evil people try to take advantage of others are hard to come by.
ReplyDeleteOften times, evil shrouds the good that can be seen. This is evident as we look at Satan's character in Paradise Lost. Satan, always seen as essentially the definition of evil, has now been flipped and we see Satan has someone we can sympathize with. We see that not only does Satan have some good qualities, but it seems we have been thinking about him wrong our entire lives.
ReplyDeleteWe see evil as something that is unethical or immoral and something that is malicious as Satan is depicted in the bible. Yet, we all have evil thoughts and ambitions that we may not realize. It just seems innate to us and we suppress it, so that we do not act on it. How is man able to believe that going to war is not evil? We go to war and slaughter thousands or even millions of other people rationalizing it in our heads that this is for the good of mankind. Sometimes it may be, yet how can we justify taking another person’s life? Socially, everybody is evil and we all possess evil traits, but most of us have self control. God was trying to make this point that evil is in all of us, but it is only evil if we allow it to control our actions. The same point is being touched upon by W. H. Auden, we are all inherently evil, but we all must possess self control to hide the evil within ourselves.
I think that there are many degrees of bad and good but for evil, absolute evil, it is the unforgivable mayhem that plagues humans. With that said, I do think that the definition of evil is rather subjective and is too based on how you view the opposite of evil. I’m not sure what the source of evil is rather than the absence of something pleasant but even so, I think that something extra has to have happened for something to be deemed evil in the absence of good. But with that too if something is in retaliation to something else how evil can it be knowing the full picture? I don’t think we are all inherently evil. I’d like to think that no evil baby is born into this world but as life continues the byproduct of our surroundings, teachings, and society we live in can turn us into something that is not good. Humans are malleable beings. I think what god was getting at when he told Cain that Sin crouches outside his door is that everything will be tempting when we are taking in so many new things but it is our duty to stay true to ourselves and beliefs to resist those temptations. Auden is in agreement that evil is a human construct and is constantly around us.
ReplyDeleteEvil is defined by what we see as good or bad and is inherently tied to moral dilemmas. I define evil as anything that degrades or gets in the way of increasing potential growth. An evil character is one that has given into temptation but to be truly evil, they stop others from being good and encourage others to give into evil ways. The source of all evil cannot be clarified because in my opinion evil cannot exist without good and the two are inextricably combined. We are in some way evil but we also are good but what qualifies the difference is how we perceive each other and ourselves. Evil is complicated because there will always be gray areas that test each person's idea of good and evil. When God told Cain that sin crouches outside the door he meant that evil will always be present and readily available to tempt him to make evil decisions. Auden is in agreement because he is also saying that evil is always present in peoples lives. People will always make mistakes so everyone deals with evil in their lives.
ReplyDeleteEvil is described as profoundly immoral and malevolent, but this poses a second question: How do you justify the limits to stay confined between what is moral and immoral; this creates a sense of subjectivity given that this term is seen differently by different people. To make an evil character, the character must be immorally guided by terrible values, and have an unjust motive for reasoning. Essentially there is no source of evil, but instead it is learned as life goes on. It derives personally from people's’ individual pasts and is different for everybody. People don’t usually stride to be “EVIL”, instead they usually stride to be a good person with virtuous qualities; though, sometimes they get off track from where they’re aiming (metaphorically); and what they do seems good for them, but absolutely terrible to everyone else. When God spoke to Cain, he tried to get the message across that even though there are limitless opportunities to be Evil, Man must be in control of the temptation that is a constantly posing a threat to them. When the British poet W.H. Auden said that “Evil is...always human and shares our bed and eats at our own table”, he is mutually understanding with what God stated. They both state that Evil is always surrounding us, whether we want it or not. Though these opportunities to be evil is always present, Man should be strong and not give into it.
ReplyDeleteEvil is a dark and malevolent force that coerces people to not behave to their potential. People are naturally good until the force of Evil corrupts them. The source of evil comes from God. The Good that He originally created needed to be balanced with another force, it’s opposite. While evil does come from God, it only corrupts his least loyal servants; servants being those who do good, not necessarily believe in him. Evil is normal is the sense that it tips the balances, while no one wishes for Evil, we all know it’s out there. Evil can take whatever form it chooses. Pride can be evil if it causes you to overestimate yourself or to be hurtful to others. Pride can also be good if you are deserving of it. Though something as significant and hurtful as genocide is a constant evil. There aren’t two sides because of its harmful nature. Evil exists to hurt other beings. When God tells Cain that Sin desires him, he means that Evil is always out there. Evil is temptation. The nature of temptation is to lure the unsuspecting soul towards Evil, and man must be vigilant enough in his duties so that he will always have a clear head to rebuke the devil. God and W. H. Auden both view Evil as an ever present force that will try to force it’s way into your life.
ReplyDeleteEvil to me is as simple as making the wrong choice between good and bad. This is because Evil is giving into temptation and not doing what is right. Therefore, I believe that evil is a subjective thing to mankind. Not to say that angels, or fallen ones for this matter, can't be evil like Satan, rather I believe that humans are the ones that are evil. You see, man has the ability to think for himself and was given free will, animals are rather simpleminded and can't really think through what they do to the extent that we can. This is why I associate evil with humans. We are fully aware of what we are doing, right or wrong, making our poor choices things of evil. Unlike other living creatures, we lack the naiveté of simply not realizing it was bad because all of us know when we are acting evil. There is a line I draw though with our unconscious. Even though it is a sin, we all envy and are proud, however that is not a controllable thing and can't be described as evil. That is why I stated it is when you choose to do wrong that you are evil. When God warned Cain, he was telling him that Sin would tempt him and would always be there. He will have to wage a constant war with sin and evil. When he says that man must master it, he is saying that man must resist the temptation that is sin.
ReplyDeleteThe meaning of Evil is subjective and therefore cannot easily be defined. In general, I think evil is best defined as something that goes against what the circumstances define as good. Because we all have different opinions on what is good in any given situation, we all have different definitions for what is considered evil. In a book, for example, an evil character is the one that goes against what the author is trying to convey as good. I think that evil is inevitably part of everything because of the many ways to define evil. I believe evil can be simple or grandiose. I feel that we tend to think of simple “evil” things like selfish, self-center pride as not evil because they are a natural part of everyone so we tend to accept them. When God told Cain that Sin crouches outside his door, God was trying to say that the temptation to do evil and specifically, to sin, is ever present, but that Cain must learn to deal with the temptation and fight against it. W. H. Auden is in agreement with that statement, to an extent. Auden seems to suggest that we tend to accept evil into our lives, while God seems to try and suggest that Evil is always trying to get into our lives, but we must fight against it.
ReplyDeleteEvil lies within intention. Our actions aren’t inherently evil provided we have justification for the decisions make. That is not to say that an action along the lines of murder is right, but if the reason can be presented in a way that makes it morally acceptable it is not necessarily “evil.” Every person is capable of committing evil, but this capability does not make them evil. It can be explained in Freudian ideology when looking at the concept of ID, ego, and super ego. ID the representation of our darkest desires, the devil on our shoulder, and super ego the angel whispering nothing but social niceties and compassion into our other ear. The ego, a compromise of the two, is the true representation of someones moral fiber. This ego shows the responsibility of humans to choose a decision that is “right." These distinct decisions indicating morality do not have to be as horrific as murder, or as impressive as devoting one’s life to charity. They can be anything unnecessarily harmful or beneficial to others depending on which side you are looking at. While society may be desensitized to the evils that are committed it is not expected, and it is not the norm. If it were it would not be evil because acceptable morals are determined by society.
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