Can Evil Be Good

A detailed Summary of Can Evil Be Good

To discuss a statement of this nature, it would be necessary to define the meaning of 'evil'. In my opinion, any act, which inflicts harm on another individual (or group of individuals), is evil and is to be avoided at all costs. Taking that in mind, one (usually!) restricts his behaviour to acts that do not fall under the category of being 'evil'. Following this golden rule, all is well and good - until we face a situation where 'evil' acts may (seem to) lead to good. It is not hard to think of such situations. For instance, the saga of capital punishment springs to mind at once. The 'criminal' committed a crime - he may have killed, robbed, or seriously injured someone - and so he must be punished, by taking away man's most valued possession - life. Here is an example how evil - which is killing a human being - is employed to serve a 'good' cause, which is terminating evil by abolishing it at its roots. But is the use of evil in situations like these justified??? The outcome of that evil act is presumably a good one, in the sense that justice is established and a criminal pays for his crimes. A whole new light is thrown into the matter if we see the affair from the criminal's point of view. The criminal, who may have committed t

Life is not a bed of roses (unfortunately!), and often, the solution is not always as easy as it sounds. We cannot control the circumstances around us, and as a result, we are often faced solely with solutions that fall under the category of 'evil'. In these circumstances, one is placed between two evils, and so must choose the lesser evil of the two.

It is clear from the examples presented that as one cannot control circumstances, it is sometimes necessary to 'swallow' the less bitter pill - the lesser evil to prevent a greater evil from taking place. Nevertheless, the aforementioned 'golden rule' still stands - "No good can arise out of evil, and thus, evil is to be avoided at all costs."

he crime out of poverty, desperate need, or psychological disorder, is deprived from a chance to lead a new, honest life and seeking a better future. His humanity is taken away, and he turns into a victim of a merciless society and judicial system that often knows no mercy and shows little regard for the human side of the crime, while insisting on executing 'justice'. The outcome of the supposedly 'justified' act is no longer seen as 'good', but as necessarily and predominantly evil. A human life is terminated - where it could have been, with a little bit of kindness and understanding, redeemed into mainstream society as a beneficial and contributing member.

I shall relate an incident that happened many years ago,

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Approximate Word count = 955
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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