How do you define evil?

[satyrlovesong]

The American Heritage Dictionary defines it like this

Comments

[cedyeus]

I came across this definition years ago in a piece of Planescape fiction (which I'd love to find again at some point). They (and I) define evil as the willful disregard of the wants and needs of other beings.
The nice thing about this is by adding the willful clause, it removes selfishness/self-centeredness and moves them from being considered evil to just being asshats.

[cedyeus]

I would add, that by "beings" I mean sentient beings (aka us humans). As Animal Planet has shown, the "need" of a predator to eat vs a prey animal's "need" to not be eaten does not equate to an evil act.

[teamnoir]

I point again to the movie, "The Ghost and the Darkness" in which a pair of lions were hunting and killing humans, not just for food, but also for sport.

Does this qualify as "evil"? I'm not sure. But I think it's a fascinating perspective on how the concept of evil may have developed.

ihnjh;ijls

[elisandra]

“I am an evil giraffe, and I shall eat more leaves from this tree then perhaps I should, so that other giraffes may die!"

[elisandra]

Seriously, Eddie Izzard had this one set

[elisandra]

What about the misguided who commit evil acts for the 'sake of the good'?

[cedyeus]

enter in the "willful disregard". So yes, Jack Bauer is "evil" because he does evil things for "the sake of the greater good". It is societie's perogative to punish him for his evil, or to excuse it because his evil actions provided more positive "for the greater good".

[labelleizzy]

I think you've come closer to nailing this concept, as I see it, than any other comments here.

asshattishness is one thing, mean-evil-rude-abusive-manipulative is another thing entirely.