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Little devil inside reddit6/2/2023 The issue of whether “pure evil” exists, however, is separate from what happens to our judgments and our behavior when we believe in its existence. A misguided understanding of human nature deriving both from specific socio-cultural traditions as well as a general tendency to understand others’ behavior as a product solely of their essence, their soul, as opposed to a more complicated combination of environmental and individual forces. This grounding of evil in ordinary, as opposed to extraordinary, phenomena have led some to describe the notion of “pure evil” as a myth. From Milgram’s famous studies of obedience to Zimbardo’s prison study, psychologists have argued for the roots of evil actions in quite ordinary psychological causes. But what many saw as a clear demonstration of unredeemable and deep-seated malice, these researchers interpreted as more, in the words of Hannah Arendt, banal. Many of the formative thinkers in the field - Kurt Lewin, Stanley Milgram, Solomon Asch - were inspired by their experiences with, and observations of, what appeared to most people at the time to be the indisputable incarnation of pure evil. ![]() This personification of evil has implications beyond the supernatural, influencing how we think about what it means for people to be “pure evil.” And as we prepare to playfully celebrate the wicked and depraved on Halloween night, it’s worth pausing to reflect on some of the psychological and behavioral consequences of these beliefs.Įvil has been defined as taking pleasure in the intentional inflicting of harm on innocent others, and ever since World War II social psychologists have been fascinated by the topic. Some 70 percent of Americans, according to a 2007 Gallup Poll, believe in his existence. Fortunately for them, the devil does not seem to be effectively executing this plan. Justice Antonin Scalia and Keyser Soze agree: the greatest trick the devil could ever pull is convincing the world he didn’t exist.
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