Basic Notions Of Evil: What Is Evil?

What is evil? In many cultures, it is the term used to define those who we feel are sinful or against the greater good. Many theories surround human nature, whether we are naturally destructive, or if human beings are inclined to put others before themselves. Some would argue that the instinct of selfishness is ingrained, others say that environments and events cause people to act morally wrong. This report will aspire to support the latter view.

In the form of nature, nothing is truly evil. What does this really mean? Evil is the opposite side of morality, the flip side of the coin, and yet humans fabricated morality as a way to define the complexity of existing. Peter Dews, a british philosopher, addresses this matter. “Basic notions of

Something beyond society’s understanding calls for permanent termination, not redemption. Yet, when we try to explain this notion, evil, explanations are given through psychological conditions and neurological complications. Commonly known that with most psychological and neurological syndromes, the person is born with it. Could humans be born evil? Is it as unavoidable as this suggests? A study conducted in 2013, by University of Pennsylvania professor of criminology, Adrian Raine, looked at neuroimaging of violent criminals. Studying murderers, psychopaths and serial killers, he examined how they differed from the everyday person. Diminished activity in areas of the brain linked with self-awareness, the processing of emotions and sensitivity to violence concluded the potential reason for their violent actions. "The findings suggest that many people currently being punished for their crimes cannot actually control their behaviour, and should be seen as suffering from a disorder that needs treatment," said Raine. (2) Said evidence suggests that evil is part of the natural order and an unavoidable issue. Our sense of trust in human nature would be somewhat impaired by this, if it is true, as that would imply that every fight for the greater good has been in vain, and that evil is an unstoppable force that will always be around. I agree. There will always be evil in humanity, cruelty towards others and destruction for self gain.

On October 2005, as part of a research project at UC Irvine, he sifted through thousands of scans to find patterns showing psychopathic tendencies in the real world. “I was looking at many scans, scans of murderers mixed in with schizophrenics, depressives and other, normal brains,” he said. “Out of serendipity, I was also doing a study on Alzheimer’s and as part of that, had brain scans from me and everyone in my family right on my desk.” He encountered an obviously pathological scan, greeted by an unsettling revelation when he discovered the psychopathic brain pictured in the scan was his own. Fallon, a happily married man, was shocked to see that he demonstrated similar brain patterns to those that marked most serial killers. “I’ve never killed anybody, or raped anyone,” he stated. Further investigation concluded that he had high risk alleles for aggression, violence and low empathy. Suggesting that it is not just the brain that makes the killer, environment evidently has a major impact also. Statistically, it is proven that most children and teenagers that are abused growing up, grow up to be abusers. Taught that it is the norm, they exhibit their anger onto people around them. An infographic from Best Counselling Degrees details why people turn to serial killing. 18% of serial killers had been neglected, 26% sexually abused, 36% physically abused, 50% psychologically abused and 68% reported