Framing the Other as Evil - Deviance: Social Control and Conflict

‘FRAMING THE OTHER AS EVIL’

DEVIANCE: SOCIAL CONTROL AND CONFLICT

SAMANTHA ALAMPI

Introduction

Evil is the violation of the most basic moral or ethical standards prescribed by a society, philosophy, or religion. Different ethical systems have different standards, those using one ethical system might describe perceived outsiders (those who follow a different system) as evil.

But what makes a person Evil? How is it that we can explain such pure acts of evil and justify them in terms of what motivated the particular individual or society. Can we turn to religion or science, or is there another explanation altogether?

To understand evil, or at least gain a basic understanding of the concept of evil, it is important to first explore the history and meaning of the word. This paper will attempt to explain the background of the concept of evil, and what makes an individual evil, drawing on such historical events as Nazi Germany.

Background

Evil in many cultures is used to describe acts or thoughts which are contrary to some particular religion. In some religions, evil is an active force, often personified as an entity such as Satan. In the Christian tradition, evil consists of breaking the rules given by God to man. Evil is understood to be an opposition to God as well as something unsuitable or inferior. The rules may be given for man’s protection or to honour God.

In Western philosophy, evil is usually limited to doing harm or damage to an object or creature. Plato argued ‘that which we call evil is merely ignorance, and good is that which everyone desires.’ The expression of ‘good versus evil’ is expressed, by many cultures. Those who believe in the theory of evil believe that evil cannot exist without good, nor good without evil.

Today many philosophers limit evil to acts that intentionally cause harm. In the modern concept of evil, intent to cause harm is crucial, so that acts carried out by very young children or the mentally ill for example, would not be called evil.

There are also deliberate acts known to be harmful to others, which are not considered evil because they are either acts of self-defence, defence of another being, or that the act is considered to be justified. War is an excellent example of this.

Sociological/Scientific explanations of Evil

Some sociologists, psychologists and neuroscientists have attempted to construct scientific explanations for the development of specific characteristics of an ‘antisocial’ personality type in which we call a ‘sociopath’. The sociopath typically shows extreme self-serving behaviour and a lack of conscience as well as an inability