What is "True Evil"

[MassiveGeek]

Okay so the title pretty tells you everything but just incase...
I want to know what the escapists idea on "True Evil" is. No I am not doing this for any particular reason I am just curious...

Your avatar.

I want to marry it.

*Cough* Anywho, I just think it's all per definition. But if I had to pinpoint one thing I thought was really truly evil it has to be my brothers mentor Olav when he was the "playmaster" of our D&D game.

I swear that man was the most cruel being on the planet during the sessions.

My poor character...

 

[John the Gamer]

There is no such thing as evil.

It's just like everything else: Something's "Evil" because almost everyone thinks so, but that doesn't make it evil (per se). Just like other things; you're free to name potatoes "toilets" from now on, but that doesn't mean shit because nobody else does.

"Could you pass me the toilets please, I'm feeling a wee bit peckish"

Actually, that image fits really well with that line... Yay?

Something evil is only evil when you target it at the wrong person. Eating you fellow man is considered evil, but not if you're stranded on a mountain or something.

It's just a name given to stuff we find to be "Unacceptable". Although most of the time it's given to people we just find "Amusing" like the dude in the picture above. Curious...

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

Evil does exist. It is unrestrained selfishness. Anytime someone acts without any regard for how their actions will affect those around them, that is evil. It may not be cartoonish, super-villain evil, but it is without a doubt evil.

Note that this does not mean that everything you do must be pleasing to others. Being "good" simply means behaving in a way that acknowledges the existence and worth of other human beings; being "evil" means behaving as if you are the only person.

 

[Vykrel]

Rape is one of the few crimes with literally no justification.

i somewhat recently heard about a story in which someone raped a mans son, so to get revenge, the father revenge raped the rapist. sounds justified to me, if not a bit weird. surely you cant say that you wouldnt choose murder as the better option? (even if that is what you would have done in that situation)

anyway, genocide is something that is truly evil. killing innocents in general, too.

 

[Use_Imagination_here]

Well it's certainly not an act, no act is inherently evil, it's all about the circumstances.

And it's certainly not a charecteristic, that depends almost entirely on your point of view.

The only logical conclusion, in my opinion is that it doesn't exist.

 

[let's rock]

Cover based combat, iron sight aiming, and forced terrable vehicle sections

 

[secondcircle]

Satan isn't evil at all really, if you go for the original Satan, and not the Gothic pop culture version- Then Satan was the lord of music, who was cast of of heaven and into hell for questioning god. That's it, nothing more! And then we damn him as the lord of all evil for having free will? Tbh, I'd say god was more evil, for damning his life to a eternity of fire and anguish for having free will.

Yeah, but then Satan decided to tempt Eve and ruin things for humanity just to spite God. If he was just trying to revenge himself on God or the other angels that'd be one thing, but he relishes in tainting humanity who are innocent of the affair.

 

[-Dragmire-]

True evil: the strongest viewpoint/action/policy/stance/agenda(political or otherwise) that directly opposes, strongly conflicts or impedes your own.

 

[shinigamisparda]

Okay so the title pretty tells you everything but just incase...
I want to know what the escapists idea on "True Evil" is. No I am not doing this for any particular reason I am just curious...

I've thought long and hard about this and to me true evil is doing something evil for no reason. If you commit an evil act for revenge or for achieving power they are not pure evil because there is a reason behind them. But don't get me wrong, it's still bad. However, if you commit and evil act for no other reason than just because you wanted to commit the act, that is true evil to me.

 

[AdmanUK]

Moving the Mass Effect 3 release date to March 2012 Argh!

 

[jshap243]

True evil is evil that is evil just because it is evil. A truly evil person does not do evil things because they want revenge or money or change or power, an evil person does evil things because they want to, and for no other reason. An evil person may burn a complete stranger's house to the ground with them inside, simply because he/she wants to kill that person and burn their posessions. As soon as you add a motive to the actions, the evil is no longer "true."

 

[Russian_Assassin]

Okay so the title pretty tells you everything but just incase...
I want to know what the escapists idea on "True Evil" is. No I am not doing this for any particular reason I am just curious...

There is no such thing. At least objectively. The universe will never judge you, so evil does not exist naturally. If you want to know what it is subjectively though, I would suggest you ask yourself what YOU believe to be "true evil".

 

[LordLoudmouth]

Incabable of caring for anybody else other than yourself, lack of sympathy towards everything (by these means hitler is only 80% evil) and willingness to do anything to achieve something, against his own morals or not.

 

[PowerC]

True Evil is when you can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. True Evil is when you just want to watch the world burn.

You are not bad for any reason other than absolute evil. not to be a fanboy but the Joker's a really good representation of true evil

 

[XHolySmokesX]

One definition could be: Doing something which hinders, burdens or hurts someone else, with absolutely no possitive gain for yourself.

For example, kicking your best friend in the balls when you hate seeing your freinds in pain. That's just so evil it hurts.

However, there is also cutting of a dudes dick. That's beyond True Evil, that's Pure True Evil.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

Inflicting pain and/or suffering on another human being solely to satisfy some selfish gain.

EDIT: That gain could be money, or pleasure, or just the desire "to watch the world burn" as many have pointed out. The point is, true evil makes others suffer in order to satisfy its own desires, however logical or chaotic they may be.

Rape, murder*, taking enjoyment out of someone else's suffering**, these would all fall under that umbrella.


*By murder, I don't include killing in self defense, or killing in a war situation, or this...

Murder can be justified. If I had a child, and someone molested/killed them, I would murder the guy. Legally wrong, but I would personally find that morally acceptable.

...which I wouldn't even call "murder," I'd call it "natural justice." Then again, I tend to agree with Frank Castle on this point: "In some extreme situations, the law is inadequate. In order to shame its inadequacy, it becomes necessary to act outside the law, to pursue natural justice."

(And now I've just been added to an FBI watch list...)


**I'm not talking about laughing at the guys from Jackass or laughing at your friend because he tripped and fell or laughing at the melodramatic emo teenager. I'm talking about TRUE suffering: people who are genuinely starving/hurting/grieving/dying.


Ungh, I hate semantics.

 

[Grospoliner]

Good and evil are a bit archaic.

What I believe we've always intended to associated the two with is altruism and selfishness. We consider the man who runs into a burning building to save a child a hero, while we consider the man who flees a burning building leaving a child behind to be a coward. This is applicable to even those actions considered especially heinous, as a human can be killed to protect a life but it is considered wrong to kill a fellow human to satisfy a personal urge.

 

[Ignatz_Zwakh]

When you can provide something everyone wants at a wave of your hand and you decide not to for no tangible reason. That means YOU Nintendo of America! *Shakes fist*

 

[Insignia19]

There is only one true evil in the world......ignorance.