For The Worst Of Us, The Diagnosis May Be 'Evil' (*Sensitive Reader Caution)

[the_leander]

Predatory killers often do far more than commit murder. Many perform their grisly rituals as much for pleasure as for any other reason.

Among themselves, a few forensic scientists have taken to thinking of these people as not merely disturbed but evil. Evil in that their deliberate, habitual savagery defies any psychological explanation or attempt at treatment.

Most psychiatrists assiduously avoid the word evil, contending that its use would precipitate a dangerous slide from clinical to moral judgment that could put people on death row unnecessarily and obscure the understanding of violent criminals.

Still, many career forensic examiners say their work forces them to reflect on the concept of evil, and some acknowledge they can find no other term for certain individuals they have evaluated.

In an effort to standardize what makes a crime particularly heinous, a group at New York University has been developing what it calls a depravity scale, which rates the horror of an act by the sum of its grim details.

(*Sensitive Reader Caution) While not highly graphic, some descriptions of the criminals' acts may be upsetting to sensitive readers or to former victims of abuse.

Full story here

I do hope that this is in the right CH forum, if not, shout at me and a moderator :-D

[whabang]

Very interesting article! Thanks!

[Speelgoedmannetje]

Well, I think there's a part of the human brain wich is evil. And it will be activated when there's a certain atmosphere (maybe the sense of too many men in society).
For instance, did you actually knew that after each war, an exceptional amount of male babies are being born?

Probably this part of these nutcase's brain is in overdrive at times...

[bloodline]

There is no such thing as Evil... don't believe me? Try and define it...

[Speelgoedmannetje]

bloodline wrote:
There is no such thing as Evil... don't believe me? Try and define it...

OK. Evil is attempting to make other ppl's lives as horrible as possible, and inflicting physical or mental pain

[bloodline]

Speelgoedmannetje wrote:

bloodline wrote:
There is no such thing as Evil... don't believe me? Try and define it...

OK. Evil is attempting to make other ppl's lives as horrible as possible, and inflicting physical or mental pain

That's a good one. So that doesn't include some one/thing that doesn't care if it causes pain?

[Speelgoedmannetje]

in the strict sense, yes
but the world is full of implications
for instance, the tsunami in Asia was terrible, but not evil.

[bloodline]

Speelgoedmannetje wrote:
in the strict sense, yes
but the world is full of implications
for instance, the tsunami in Asia was terrible, but not evil.

ok.

You've got me stummped... but I know I had a point.

[Speelgoedmannetje]

let me put you on the rails back then:
I talked about a natural disaster, wich has no intention
But there can be an intention by doing nothing, watching someone to die or suffer without doing anything.
There lies the subjectivity of evil. But that's a thing apart from really doing evil, the latter can be defined clearly as being evil and the first isn't.

[Wain]

Nothing can be clearly defined as Evil because the entire concept is subject to interpretation.

Although in order to function we will need to have some generic societal axiom the same way we have right and wrong, and Speel's seems to be as good as anothers.

[Wilse]

@Wain:

But what about all those evildoers who hate freedom, aren't they evil?
;-)

[bloodline]

Wilse wrote:
@Wain:

But what about all those evildoers who hate freedom, aren't they evil?
;-)

So Evil is anything that inhibits freedom!!! :-D



I shal liberate my door from it's evil hinges... which themselves need to be liberated from their evil screws...

[KennyR]

And once upon a time, epilepsy meant you were possessed by demons.

No-one could argue that predatory killers like serial murderers are "normal". There is obviously something wrong with them, either by birth or how they were treated in youth.

The nature of these people's crimes makes it hard ever to accept that they are comitting them because they are "sick", but they are. A normal person cannot do these things. There are too many psychological safeguards.

[bloodline]

KennyR wrote:
And once upon a time, epilepsy meant you were possessed by demons.

No-one could argue that predatory killers like serial murderers are "normal". There is obviously something wrong with them, either by birth or how they were treated in youth.

The nature of these people's crimes makes it hard ever to accept that they are comitting them because they are "sick", but they are. A normal person cannot do these things. There are too many psychological safeguards.

There was my point! :-D There is no evil just aceptable and unaceptable :-P

[T_Bone]

KennyR wrote:
The nature of these people's crimes makes it hard ever to accept that they are comitting them because they are "sick", but they are. A normal person cannot do these things. There are too many psychological safeguards.

I wonder how many of those safeguards are above sea level though, er, consious. They can be ignored at will, by perfectly normal people.

I wonder if this line is even the same or everyone. Are processes that happen mostly consiously in one, occuring unconsiously in most others?

Anyone can act normal, but can anyone be abnormal at will?