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The Irresistible Appeal Of Evil
Why ordinary people leap to embrace the chance to harm others
First of all, let’s do what very few people even think of doing when talking about abstract concepts: we will define our terms. What, therefore, do we mean when we use the word evil? As its etymology suggests, for much of human history ordinary people have ascribed acts beyond the normal realm of human unpleasantness to the influence of some supernatural entity. Judeo-Christian mythologies in particular liked to pretend that when people behave badly they are doing so because they are in some way possessed by an external power that forces them to commit acts they presumably otherwise would not do. This is a charming attempt to evade responsibility and so of course most people latched onto it as a wonderful get-out-of-jail-free card. Hence we have centuries of demonic possession, witchcraft, and all manner of other simple-minded nonsense guaranteed to appeal to a wide audience of empty-heads.
We cannot, however, countenance a definition of evil by making reference to imaginary entities. Moreover, such reference is entirely unnecessary. We have overwhelming evidence regarding the many and various acts we humans are at times eager to inflict upon each other, and a great deal is now understood about the neurochemistry that makes such acts feel desirable to the…
