Evil…?

There’s been some disturbing new stories lately. Sometimes I wonder if some people are just evil. 

It’s a question that has plagued man for centuries. Is it possible that man is inherently good, or evil? Are some people just born evil? Recent statistics suggest that one 1 in every 25 people is a sociopath. It’s a subtler form of evil than being an outright psychopath, but is it any less evil? Is it evil at all?

It’s a question of the very nature of evil. Evil, as defined by the dictionary, is an act which causes deliberate harm or pain. This is not the same as sin which is a deliberate disobedience of whatever deity you believe in. So, you could in fact be evil without sinning, and be sinning without being evil. If you’re having trouble with that concept, don’t worry, a lot of people do.

There have been several studies into whether or not people are inherently good or evil. In one such experiment participants were asked to shock a subject (actually an actor) when they answered questions wrong. The subject would scream and complain of sharp pains and a history of heart problems, yet the participants would continue to shock them simply because the doctor (also an actor) told them the test must go on.

Some ‘scientific’ or ‘medical’ studies seem to have been deliberate evil in themselves, such as the activities of Nazi doctors and Unit 731. Such study’s activities included testing to see in if twins would react to the other being killed, or if body parts amputated and then sewn onto another part of the body would survive.

Even unrelated studies have revealed disturbing facts about human nature. Nathan Weaver, a student trying to find a way to help turtles cross the road in a safer manner, placed a realistic rubber turtle on the road. He watched for an hour and found something disturbing, several drivers were deliberately swerving to hit the faux animal.