Pure Evil: Humanly Impossible

Pure Evil: Humanly Impossible

In confidently stating that no human being, under any circumstances,

would choose evil over goodness, Socrates believed that we are our

souls. If a person is identified by their soul, then all actions he or

she willingly performs are done so after carefully examining ones

soul. Unless you look into your psyche, where lies the conscious self,

you are not reflectively thinking. Socrates believed such a thing

since he felt it was against human nature to desire what is ultimately

harmful or evil for the soul. In other words, if a person acquired the

knowledge to distinguish between good and evil, he or she would only

perform acts of goodness voluntarily.

Socrates makes such a bold statement by holding a strong belief

against the human beings weakness of will. He did not accept the idea

that people gave in to the evil side, but rather that they lacked

sufficient knowledge, therefore the acts of evil committed were caused

through ignorance. This assumption regarding the absence of a weak

will makes it possible for Socrates to believe that no man voluntarily

does evil. When someone appears to be doing evil or claims to be evil,

this person is really doing what they truly believe is the better way

to conduct. Since this false belief is due to the lack of proper

knowledge ignorance can be put to blame, contrary to what some would

view as weakness of will. This reflects well with racist extremists,

who will go as far as killing or bombing an entire nation based on the

strong belief that they are doing what is better for the world,

letting only the best race live in peace.

Socrates also based his statement on intellectualism. He agreed that

behaviour is guided by beliefs to do what is good. These actions may

appear to be evil on the outside, yet the person within has the idea

that they are acting for the better. When parents are abusive towards

their children, they believe this is necessary to discipline and keep