The Conception of Evil

Saint Augustine once regarded evil as the absence of good, a corruption of the creation of God through abuse of free will. In Islam, evil was said to have been the creation of Iblis or Shaitan as an act of revenge against Allah. But in Taoism and Hinduism, evil has been seen as either a cosmic force that we co-exist with or is just an aspect of ourselves.

But in history, even without the influence of other dark entities, human beings have committed a series of atrocities that have caused a lot of harm to others, all motivated by greed, ambition and fear. Sometimes their violence is encouraged by a belief that the harm they are causing is beneficial for the world.

Humans have justified their actions as necessary for our survival and in many cases these lines have been blurred to maintain the stability of our lives. But to what degree is it acceptable for us to commit harmful actions just to preserve ourselves and what we know?

Questions:

1. What makes something evil? Can it be evil without causing any harm or cruelty?
2. Can natural disasters, cause and effect beyond our control, be evil?
3. What makes someone evil? Is evil found in intention, in action or in the consequences of both?
4. Can someone be considered evil if the intent was good but the consequence was disastrous?
5. Can a person be judged as evil or only by their actions? Should you separate these two factors?
6. Does the existence of evil challenge or support atheistic or theistic worldviews?
7. Are people innately evil or is it our surroundings that incentivize it?
8. Why does evil exist at all? Does it have a function?
9. Can governments and/or its people be evil as well? What would be the benefit of it?
10. How does evil hide in ordinary systems? eg in rules, obedience, or bureaucracy?
11. Why are we fascinated by evil in fiction and history? Why are we drawn to it?
12. Can art and media desensitize us to evil and the reality of its existence? Does it make evil banal?
13. Has evil lost its meaning in the modern age?
14. If human beings are evil, how is it we redeem ourselves?

References:
https://philosophy.institute/philosophy-of-religion/types-of-evil-philosophy/
https://michaeljfast.com/2021/06/14/3-types-of-evil/
https://digitalcommons.calvin.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=religion_beets#:~:text=After%20establishing%20that%20both%20the,including%20man%2C%20are%20still%20good.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil