'Evil' behaviour and ideas of what it means to be human

[Kthebean 10]

I know, a bit deep for a wednesday lunchtime, but stick with me...

 

The 'puppy' thread got me thinking. People are often at pains to point out that they believe people who do really wicked things like the puppy thing or attacking grannies are not actually people at all. That they are using the term people very loosely because these are not people etc.

 

Paedophiles are a good case study - people refer to them as animals, sub-humans, etc.

 

Now, why is this the case? What is so good about humans that we deserve the term 'humane' to mean treating something well? If you believe in the concept of evil, arent we all a little bit evil to varying degrees? And don't some animals, for example ants, treat their environment and fellow ants much much better than we do, as an entire species?

 

 

Can any of the forum academics or religious bods shed any light on this for me?

[floyd77 10]

Not that I claim to be an academic, or in any way religious - but I think it has something to do with the cognative capacity for compassion (say that 10 times quickly)

 

When a new male lion comes on the scene, he will quickly kill all the lion cubs sired by his predecessor. Now if a human man married a woman with kids from a previous marriage, he's unlikely to murder the kids. This would be an instance where you could say the man is 'like an animal' if he were to harm the kids.

 

Ants for instance work well together as a team, with a common goal, but thats it - they dont bury their dead, dont help their fellow ant unless it benefits the 'whole'. A human may (a big may) help his fellow man for no reason than to help.

 

I think this is the beginning of where it comes from.

[nick2 10]

And don't some animals, for example ants, treat their environment and fellow ants much much better than we do, as an entire species?

 

Don't ants raid rival colonies, capture the workers and force them into slavery before finally killing and eating them ?

 

Thats not very nice.

[Kthebean 10]

Do they

 

I change my example to, ummm, dolphins?

 

Anyway we do all the stuff too don't we? Or at least there are examples all throughout history of the horrible wicked evil that we have inflicted on each other.

 

Yeah, I know, I wasn't really sure where I was going with all this either. Think I should go back to bed.

[Greenback 10]

Originally posted by nick2

Don't ants raid rival colonies, capture the workers and force them into slavery before finally killing and eating them ?

 

Thats not very nice.

 

Is that ants you're talking about, or the business plan for a new Starbucks?

[Rushup 10]

Originally posted by Greenback

Is that ants you're talking about, or the business plan for a new Starbucks?

 

I very nearly fell off my chair.

[nick2 10]

Originally posted by kathythebean

Do they

 

I change my example to, ummm, dolphins?

 

have you not seen the film of dolphins killing porpouses (for fun it looks like) by swimming into them from below breaking their ribs and causing them to drown ?

[Kthebean 10]

Ok thanks nick, my point wasn't that animals aren't evil

 

Just why do we insist on saying that evil people aren't really people at all, when they obviously are?

[Deavon 10]

I think we have to believe that us and our loved ones would not be capable of performing some of the acts of cruelty we hear about.

 

By stamping a 'Monster' label on the worst in our society we keep the image of our society clean in our imaginations.

[Andy78 10]

It is interesting, because evil is a concept completely developed by mankind. It's also a concept that must evolve as the conscience of humanity changes over time. What is quite acceptable now, may be seen as completely wicked in 2000 years.

 

What does interest me is what we class as evil. For example if some one had hung a rat, or a snail, I doubt that many people would have raised an eyebrow. It certainly wouldn't have been the head line on the Star. Why is this?

 

I appreciate that I haven't added anything useful to the thread here.

[Cyclone 10]

Originally posted by kathythebean

Ok thanks nick, my point wasn't that animals aren't evil

 

Just why do we insist on saying that evil people aren't really people at all, when they obviously are?

 

because it removes them from the group of 'us'. By making them into something else we can claim to be different, we can demonise them and dream up horrid punishments for them.

If we accepted that they are just misguided or sick versions of us, we are that much closer to being like they are.

[Kthebean 10]

Isnt that a bit silly though?

 

Surely if we do that then we kind of absolve them of responsibility for their actions?