Evil
Evil is profound immorality, often opposed to good.
Evil is a concept defined as profound immorality, typically related to acts that inflict pain and suffering on others. It is commonly understood as the opposite or absence of good, though its scope can be extremely broad. In everyday usage, it often refers more narrowly to profound wickedness that acts against the common good. Evil is generally seen in multiple forms: personal moral evil, associated with individual wrongdoing; impersonal natural evil, such as natural disasters or illnesses; and, in religious thought, the demonic or supernatural. Some religions and philosophies focus on a dualistic struggle of good versus evil, while others deny evil’s usefulness in describing people. Elements commonly linked to personal evil include anger, revenge, hatred, injustice, psychological trauma, selfishness, pride, ignorance, jealousy, prejudice, destruction, and neglect. In Buddhist-influenced cultures, both good and evil are seen as part of a duality that must be overcome to achieve Nirvana. The ethical study of good and evil is divided into meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics.
The modern English word *evil* derives from a Proto-Germanic reconstructed form *ubilaz*, with cognates in German and Dutch, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root. In Chinese moral philosophy, evil is translated as 恶, and the duty of rulers and officials is to restrain it to preserve cosmic order. Offenses against the Five Constants—the proper relationships between ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger, and friends—were considered violations of the cosmic order and particularly heinous. The Ming Legal Code identified Ten Abominations, categories so abhorrent that pardon was not applicable, including plotting rebellion, parricide, depravity (such as murdering three or more innocents), great irreverence, lack of filial piety, and incest. In Confucianism and Taoism, there is no direct analogue to the opposition of good and evil, though demonic influence appears in Chinese folk religion. In European philosophy, Hannah Arendt concluded that the problem of evil would be the fundamental problem of postwar intellectual life in Europe. Baruch Spinoza, in his *Ethics*, stated that knowledge of good or evil is nothing but an affect of joy or sorrow of which we are conscious, that nothing can be evil through what it shares with our nature, and that
- field
- Philosophy, Ethics, Religion
- known_for
- Concept of profound immorality and its dualistic opposition to good
- related_philosophers
- Baruch Spinoza, Hannah Arendt, Carl Jung, Philip Zimbardo, Stanley Milgram
- related_religions
- Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Baháʼí Faith, Chinese folk religion
Lore & Background
Evil is generally understood as profound immorality, often linked to actions that inflict pain and suffering on others. It is commonly viewed as the opposite or absence of good, though in everyday usage it more narrowly refers to extreme wickedness against the common good. Evil can take multiple forms: personal moral evil, associated with individual wrongdoing; impersonal natural evil, such as natural disasters or illnesses; and, in religious contexts, the demonic or supernatural. In many Abrahamic religions, demons are considered evil beings, contrasted with angels as their good counterparts. Elements commonly associated with personal evil include anger, revenge, hatred, injustice, psychological trauma, selfishness, pride, ignorance, jealousy, prejudice, destruction, and neglect. Some philosophies perceive evil in absolute dualistic terms, where good must prevail and evil be defeated, while Buddhist-influenced cultures see both good and evil as an antagonistic duality to be overcome through achieving Nirvana. The term is applied to events and conditions without agency, but the forms discussed here presume one or more evildoers. In Chinese moral philosophy, evil is translated as 惡, and the emperor and officials are tasked with restraining it to preserve cosmic order. Offenses against the Three Bonds and the Five Constants—such as violations of relationships between ruler and subject, father and son, or husband and wife—are considered particularly heinous, inviting displeasure from Heaven and ghosts. The Ming Legal Code identified Ten Abominations, including rebellion, parricide, depravity, great irreverence, and incest, which were so abhorrent that pardon was not applied.
Reader's Guide
Evil has been a central concern in European philosophy, with Hannah Arendt concluding after Nazi Germany that it would be the fundamental problem of postwar intellectual life. Baruch Spinoza argued that knowledge of good or evil is merely consciousness of joy or sorrow, and that if the human mind had only adequate ideas, it would form no notion of evil. In psychology, Carl Jung depicted evil as the dark side of God, while Philip Zimbardo suggested that collective identity can lead people to act evilly, as in the Stanford prison experiment. In the Baháʼí Faith, evil is considered non-existent, a mere lack of good, like cold is lack of heat.
Did You Know?
- The modern English word 'evil' comes from Proto-Germanic *ubilaz, related to Hittite huwapp-.
- The Ming Legal Code identified Ten Abominations, including plotting rebellion and incest, for which pardon did not apply.
- The Baháʼí Faith asserts that evil is non-existent, reflecting a lack of good.
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