"Degrees of Evil"
Questions to consider
Each question below relates to issues raised in the essay "Degrees of Evil" by Ron Rosenbaum (Atlantic Monthly, Feb. 2002).
What do you think? There are no simple "right" or "wrong" answers to these questions. Your response to these questions should reflect your own thought but try not to respond solely from an emotional level. Jot down any thoughts you may have related to these questions and any other observations you might want to make in preparation for class discussion. (You need not answer all these questions; simply respond to those that catch your fancy.)
Was Hitler evil or was he not to blame due to circumstances beyond his control (e.g. "forces of history," "distorted ideology," "unconscious drives," etc.)
Is there, perhaps, a third variable (perhaps a subset of "scale" - a quality rather than quantity issue?) - should/does the importance of the person/people harmed contribute to the degree of evil of the act? Is, for example, the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. more evil than the murder of an ordinary police officer? than of a mere 7-11 clerk? or of an unborn fetus? Does the question of motivation/intent (why the act was committed) impact on your response? In what way? Is evil committed against other people more evil than acts against animals? plants? the ecosystem? Why or why not? Would you even call it "evil" when directed against non-humans? Why or why not?
We are talking here about "mass murder." On the one hand, there is Hitler. On the other hand we have serial killers like the "Suburban Sniper," "suicide-" and "uni-" bombers. Which "mass murder" is more evil? Which variable counts for more: the number of people killed? The intent of the murderer? Whether the act was committed directly or indirectly at the hand of the murderer (Hitler did not actually do the killing)? Can you think of any other issues we might take into consideration?
Does/should intent of knowledge (or lack thereof) regarding the evil of one's actions lessen the degree of the evil committed? Do/should we hold an insane or retarded person as responsible for their actions as an intelligent, rational agent? Why or why not?
Do you agree or disagree regarding Socrates' observation as to how/when people do wrong?
"Moral rectitude": to right a wrong. Do you think two wrongs make a right (assuming the first wrong is really wrong)? Is "capital punishment" (the death penalty) permissible even though, under ordinary circumstances it is not OK to kill? What about "eye for an eye" justice? Is this an issue of justice or is it really revenge? Would justice make the rectitude OK while revenge makes the very same response not OK? Why? (are you consistent in your thoughts on this issue?).
Does Hitler's (or anyone's) denial or hiding of their misdeeds indicate that they know those deeds are wrong? Why else might one hide such deeds? Embarrassment? Humility? (have you ever hidden or denied something you've done? Why?)
If an "actor becomes convinced by his own act" can he really be considered a "true true believer"? Where does such a one stand between a "true believer" and merely an "actor"? (closer to one than the other? Which one?)
What is your answer: can "malignant wickedness" actually exist in real life and real people? Cite an example of such (or something that might come close), not from literature but from the news or from history.
As to such evil in literature: would you say Star Wars' Darth Vader and his "Emperor" represent "malignant evil" (or choose any other fictional example) or is there a "rectitude rationale" to their actions (what would that be)?
A question of freewill: Must we be able to know we've done wrong in order to claim freewill? Must we be consciously aware of the intent or nature of our actions to be able to say we have freely chosen them? Are there indeed times when we act without thinking, without choosing? Can freewill be "limited" and still be considered "freewill" (if there are things we simply cannot do no matter our desire, do we really have freewill even if there are others things can choose to do)?
Is taking pleasure and delight in pain and destruction perhaps a sure sign of real, "malignant wickedness"?
Questions of your own for us to consider….