Evil facts for kids
Evil is a concept that describes actions or behaviors that cause great harm or suffering to others. It's often seen as the opposite of good, or sometimes as the absence of good.
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What is Evil?
Evil is usually defined as behavior that is deeply wrong and causes unnecessary pain and suffering to others. It's a very broad idea. In everyday life, we often use "evil" to talk about extreme wickedness or actions that go against the common good.
Evil can show up in different ways. There's personal evil, which is when people choose to do bad things. There's also natural evil, like when natural disasters or illnesses cause harm. In religious beliefs, evil can be seen as something supernatural or connected to demons.
Some beliefs focus on a clear fight between good and evil. Others suggest that evil doesn't truly exist. Instead, they see it as a lack of good, or as a way to describe people who cause harm.
Different Ways to See Evil
Many things are linked to personal forms of evil. These include anger, revenge, hatred, injustice, selfishness, pride, ignorance, jealousy, prejudice, and destroying things. These are often seen as unbalanced behaviors.
In some ways of thinking, evil is seen as the complete opposite of good. It's like a battle where good should win and evil should be defeated. However, in cultures with Buddhist ideas, both good and evil are seen as two parts of a challenge. The goal is to overcome this challenge to reach a state of peace called Nirvana.
Where Does the Word "Evil" Come From?
The English word evil comes from a very old word, yfel, used in Old English. It's similar to words in other languages like German and Dutch. These words all come from an even older language called Proto-Germanic.
Evil in Different Cultures and Beliefs
Ancient Chinese Ideas About Right and Wrong
In Chinese moral philosophy, the word for evil is "e" (惡). The job of the emperor and his officials was to control evil. This helped keep the world in order. People believed they could understand good and evil just by observing the world. They didn't need special messages from above.
Protecting Order and Relationships
Chinese beliefs and laws strongly valued good relationships. These included the connections between a ruler and their people, a father and son, husband and wife, older and younger people, and friends. Anything that harmed these relationships was seen as a serious violation of the world's order. It was considered very wrong and could upset Heaven and spirits.
Serious Wrongdoings in Ancient China
The Ming Legal Code listed "Ten Abominations." These were actions considered so terrible that they usually couldn't be forgiven. They included things like planning to go against the government, serious disloyalty, harming one's parents, or causing extreme harm or death to many innocent people. Other serious wrongs included disrespecting the ruler, not showing proper respect to family, causing arguments, and acting unfairly.
In Confucianism and Taoism, there isn't a direct opposite to "good" like "evil" in some other beliefs. However, Chinese folk religion often talks about "demonic influence." Confucianism focuses on correct social behavior. So, "evil" would mean acting wrongly. Taoism, which talks a lot about opposites, would see the opposite of its main values (like compassion and humility) as similar to evil.
How People Think About Evil
Our Inner Selves and Evil
Carl Jung, a famous thinker, suggested that evil is like a "dark side" within us. People often think evil is outside them because they project their own hidden negative feelings onto others. Jung believed that understanding this "shadow" part of ourselves is important.
Group Influence and Behavior
In 2007, Philip Zimbardo suggested that people might act in bad ways when they are part of a group. This idea came from his famous Stanford prison experiment. His book, The Lucifer Effect, explores how good people can sometimes do evil things because of group pressure or their roles.
In 1961, Stanley Milgram conducted an experiment to understand why ordinary people might follow instructions that seemed to cause harm to others. Participants were told they were helping with a learning experiment. They were asked to give what they believed were electric shocks to another person. The experiment showed that many people would continue to give these shocks, even when they felt uncomfortable. They often continued after being told by the experimenter that it was necessary.
Later studies suggested that people might continue not just from obedience, but also because they wanted to support the scientific goals of the experiment. They might also not feel connected to the person receiving the "shocks." This experiment helps us understand how people can become involved in actions they might not agree with, simply by following orders or supporting a cause.
Evil in Religions
Abrahamic Religions
Baháʼí Faith: The Absence of Good
The Baháʼí Faith teaches that evil doesn't truly exist as a separate force. Instead, it's like the absence of good. Just as cold is the absence of heat, and darkness is the absence of light, evil is the absence of good. Things that seem evil, like scorpions or snakes, are only "evil" in how they affect humans. For themselves, their venom is a way to defend themselves. So, evil is more of an idea in our minds than a real thing.
Christianity: Opposing God's Will
Christian theology gets its ideas about evil from the Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible. In the Old Testament, evil is seen as going against God. It also describes things that are unsuitable or inferior, like Satan, the leader of the fallen angels. In the New Testament, different Greek words are used to describe unsuitability and opposition to God. The Catholic Church defines evil as the absence of good.
Islam: Actions and Free Will
In Islam, there isn't a concept of absolute evil that is equal to good. Muslims believe that everything comes from God, whether it seems good or bad to us. Things that are seen as "evil" are either natural events (like disasters) or are caused by people using their free will. When people disobey God's commands, harm others, or put themselves above God, their actions are considered evil. Evil often refers to the harm or bad results of an action, or to actions that are against the law.
Judaism: Choosing Good Over Bad
In Judaism, the existence of evil is linked to the idea of free will. If humans were created to be perfect and only do good, then choosing good wouldn't mean much. For Jewish belief, it's important that people have the ability to choose what is good, even when they face temptations or an "inclination to do wrong" (called yetzer hara).
Ancient Egyptian Beliefs: Order vs. Disorder
In the religion of ancient Egypt, evil was known as Isfet, which means "disorder" or "violence." It was the opposite of Maat, which meant "order." The serpent god Apep represented Isfet. Apep constantly tried to harm the sun god Ra, but other gods always stopped him. Isfet wasn't a force that existed from the very beginning. Instead, it was seen as a result of free will and the struggle against chaos.
Indian Religions
Buddhism: Overcoming Suffering
In Buddhism, the main focus is on suffering and enlightenment, not a direct battle between good and evil. The causes of suffering are what might be compared to "evil" in this belief system.
Practically, this means three selfish emotions: desire, hate, and delusion. It also includes the actions that come from these emotions. Specifically, "evil" means anything that harms or stops happiness in this life, a better rebirth, freedom from the cycle of rebirth (samsara), and true enlightenment.
The Buddha taught: "What is evil? Killing is evil, lying is evil, slandering is evil, abuse is evil, gossip is evil: envy is evil, hatred is evil, to cling to false doctrine is evil; all these things are evil. And what is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil, illusion is the root of evil."
Hinduism: Balancing Good and Bad Actions
In Hinduism, the idea of Dharma (righteousness) clearly separates the world into good and evil. It explains that sometimes wars, called Dharmayuddha, must be fought to protect Dharma. This difference between good and evil is very important in the Hindu stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Hinduism focuses more on bad actions than on bad people. The holy text, the Bhagavad Gita, talks about the balance of good and evil. When this balance is lost, divine beings come to help restore it.
Sikhism: The Path to Spiritual Growth
In Sikhism, the idea of evil changes as a person grows spiritually. At the beginning of their spiritual journey, good and evil might seem very clear. But as a person's spirit develops, the idea of evil might fade, and a deeper truth is revealed. Guru Arjan explained that since God is the source of everything, what we see as evil must also come from God. And because God is ultimately good, nothing truly evil can come from God.
Sikhism also lists "vices" that cause suffering and negativity. These are called the Five Thieves because they can cloud the mind and lead people away from doing what is right. They are:
- Moh, or Attachment (being too focused on worldly things)
- Lobh, or Greed (wanting too much)
- Karodh, or Wrath (extreme anger)
- Kaam, or strong, uncontrolled desires
- Ahankar, or Egotism (being too proud of oneself)
Someone who gives in to these "Five Thieves" is called a "Manmukh" – someone who lives selfishly. On the other hand, a "Gurmukh" is someone who follows divine knowledge and overcomes these vices by practicing high virtues. These virtues include:
- Sewa, or helping others without expecting anything in return.
- Nam Simran, or meditating on God's name.
Is There One Definition of Evil?
A big question is whether there's a single, universal definition of evil, or if what we call evil depends on our culture or background. Some people believe certain actions, like causing harm to others, are always considered evil everywhere. However, what counts as "defense" or "duty" can change from one society to another. What is considered unusual or wrong in one culture might not be in another.
Defining evil is tricky because the word is used in many ways. It can describe all kinds of suffering, even that caused by nature. It can also describe all human wrongdoing, from very serious crimes to just spreading rumors. Some thinkers say we need to look beyond these general ideas to truly understand evil.
In modern thinking, there are two main ideas of evil. A broad idea defines evil as any pain or suffering. However, pain can sometimes be necessary for survival. For example, people who can't feel pain (a condition called congenital analgesia) often get serious injuries because they don't know when something is hurting them. So, evil can't just be defined as all pain.
A narrower idea of evil focuses on actions by people that are morally wrong. This means natural disasters or animal suffering wouldn't be called evil. This view says that "evil" describes the most terrible kinds of actions, those that are much worse than just "wrong." It suggests there's a special, horrifying quality to evil acts.
Why is "Evil" a Useful Word?
There's a debate about how useful the word "evil" is. Some people think it's not helpful because it's often linked to spirits or the devil, and it doesn't really explain why bad things happen. They also worry that labeling someone "evil" can cause harm in legal or social situations.
However, others argue that "evil" is still a useful word. They say there's a way to understand evil without talking about supernatural things. They believe the term helps us describe actions that cause a special kind of moral horror. By understanding evil, we can protect good values and try to prevent bad things from happening in the future. If evil acts are the worst kinds of wrongs, then society should focus its efforts on stopping them. Recognizing evil can also help us avoid responding to bad actions with more bad actions, which can stop cycles of conflict.
Some believe that no person is truly evil, but only acts can be evil. Others think that an evil person is someone who is likely to do evil acts. Some thinkers suggest that both evil actions and evil feelings are needed to call a person evil.
An American psychiatrist, M. Scott Peck, described evil as a kind of "militant ignorance." He believed that evil people often trick themselves and others, blame their own badness on others, hate, misuse power, and lie a lot. They can't see things from the victim's point of view.
When is "Evil" Necessary?
Martin Luther, a famous religious leader, once suggested that sometimes a small bad action could lead to a positive outcome. He thought that sometimes you might do something slightly wrong to avoid a much worse situation.
In political thinking, some believe that leaders should sometimes be able to make tough choices that might seem wrong. These choices would be made only for the benefit of their country. Niccolò Machiavelli, a writer from the 16th century, famously advised leaders that they might need to act in ways that seem immoral. He wrote that sometimes what appears to be a good action could lead to ruin, while what seems like a bad action could lead to safety and well-being for the state.
See also
In Spanish: Mal para niños
- Banality of evil
- Moral evil
- Natural evil
- Problem of evil
- Sin
- Villain
- Wickedness
 | Aurelia Browder |
 | Nannie Helen Burroughs |
 | Michelle Alexander |
