Evil.

[rug]

Does this notion have any legitimate role in political, economic or military decisions?

[BeHereNow]

1. Absolutely NOT. It is an ABSTRACT, as is GOOD, as is "TERROR"

Politics should be based in empirical evidence,
not magical thinking.

BHN

[Mithreal]

15. Makes it easier to mobilize the religious

and enables ends justifies the means type of thinking.

Very manipulative choice of word for a President.

[Oregone]

2. Of course. The Flying Spaghetti Monster swats at it with His magic ladle

What is more political than the FSM? He is all encompassing

[asdjrocky]

3. That's a good question, and a tough one.

I like words like truth and justice better. Evil? Not so much.

Now, do I think what the Congress and the White House are doing for the insurance companies and against the American people is evil? It is really, really hard to say no.

I like questions, love dialog, but often times I'm short on answers.

[stray cat]

4. Are all things morally just - even throwing acid on little girls going to school?

and beating women not wearing a full Buka?

[Oregone]

5. No, thats called being "sinful"

We need to regulate such activities

[baldguy]

6. As a recovering Catholic, I still believe in Evil.

The events after Dec 12, 2000 have only reinforced that belief.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

8. ... recovering Cath olic

I resemble that remark! :rofl:

This goes into the vocabulary. Thanks!

a Cath olic

[bridgit]

7. Some say the greatest lie of them all is that 'evil' does not exist...

But what the hell do they know, and who cares if they know it or not

[provis99]

9. absolutely.

but the correct spelling of "evil" is "conservative".

[lunatica]

10. I'd say it pretty much saturates political, economic and military existence

To me it's quite obvious. There are people who do horrendous things for selfish reasons. Just look at how many children are raped and murdered by pedophiles who actually live ordinary and even 'normal' lives otherwise. Look at how many mothers kill their own children lately and when the facts come out their reasons are always selfish. Drug cartels aren't based on being good or following a higher nature.

Evil certainly has plenty of fertile ground to plant seeds of hate and destruction. It permeates the world to such an extent that people think it's just humdrum normal human behavior. It isn't though because I think most people fight that duality of good and evil within themselves. Most people know they're dual in nature and most people choose one or the other. Some people very deliberately choose evil because they think it's part of all human nature and therefore embraceable.

[shadowknows69]

11. Nope. About as dangerous as God.

[Boojatta]

12. Should Google cancel its "Don't be evil" policy?

[grasswire]

13. the noted author M.Scott Peck (psychologist) argued...

...that evil should be included in the DSM categories of mental illnesses; that a set of diagnostic criteria should be developed.

I have seen evil people. Often they are narcissists.

[MilesColtrane]

14. I would have thought that question had been answered when we saw what...

had been going on in Auschwitz with our own eyes.