Evil vs Insanity
For years, many believed that insanity and evil came hand in hand… but do they really? New research suggests that this may not be the case: “The vast majority of sociopaths are not mass murderers” (Cohen). However, a wide range of people confuse both of these topics into one and would therefore disagree. In order to fully understand whether evil and insanity are more similar than different, we have to break down what these aspects mean separately, the beliefs and controversies concerning them both, and then discuss how well they really do tie into one another. This investigation will give a more vivid view for individuals who claim these two topics are one in the same. First of all, what is evil? What does it mean and how …show more content…
The meaning of insanity is tied to mental illness, schizophrenia in particular. People who are classified as insane and/or mentally ill are thought to develop impaired thinking and reasoning skills, causing them to become paranoid, afraid, and consequently lead them to act violently and irrationally. It is said that individuals who suffer from this unfortunate ordeal tend to experience severe symptoms such as hearing voices or seeing hallucinations thus, "Cannot distinguish fantasy from reality" (Psychology Today). It is also stated that the criminally insane cannot comprehend right from wrong. However, this is not to be a conclusion that people who suffer from psychosis are actually evil per se. Individuals who are considered insane could possibly be good, kind people if they were not stricken with a sickly brain. In short, insanity could be summarized as an unhealthy state of mind. A person's ill-at-ease of mentality then interferes with their moral mindset. Because of that, victims tend ro make decisions they would not do if they had a clear, ''normal'' …show more content…
It is actually quite simple. Insane individuals tend to resort to violent and sometimes very gruesome acts that many consider evil. Adding to that, "Philosophers regard evil as a mental defect or a form of irrationality" (LaBossiere). Also, "Immoral and unethical behaviour is labelled as mental illness" (Unknown). Within the last century, a vast majority has shrugged off evil people as being mentally insane as they believe a clear-minded and civilized person could and would behave in such a way as compared to someone who is labelled insane. However, recent research suggests otherwise: "Many evil people do not suffer from any form of psychosis or perceptual, or reasoning impairment" (Cohen). This concludes that while mental illness is widely viewed for the reason people commit crimes and other catastrophes, there are some that simply do wrong because they want to and all the while have a healthy, clear, and stable
For years, many believed that insanity and evil came hand in hand… but do they really? New research suggests that this may not be the case: “The vast majority of sociopaths are not mass murderers” (Cohen). However, a wide range of people confuse both of these topics into one and would therefore disagree. In order to fully understand whether evil and insanity are more similar than different, we have to break down what these aspects mean separately, the beliefs and controversies concerning them both, and then discuss how well they really do tie into one another. This investigation will give a more vivid view for individuals who claim these two topics are one in the same. First of all, what is evil? What does it mean and how …show more content…
The meaning of insanity is tied to mental illness, schizophrenia in particular. People who are classified as insane and/or mentally ill are thought to develop impaired thinking and reasoning skills, causing them to become paranoid, afraid, and consequently lead them to act violently and irrationally. It is said that individuals who suffer from this unfortunate ordeal tend to experience severe symptoms such as hearing voices or seeing hallucinations thus, "Cannot distinguish fantasy from reality" (Psychology Today). It is also stated that the criminally insane cannot comprehend right from wrong. However, this is not to be a conclusion that people who suffer from psychosis are actually evil per se. Individuals who are considered insane could possibly be good, kind people if they were not stricken with a sickly brain. In short, insanity could be summarized as an unhealthy state of mind. A person's ill-at-ease of mentality then interferes with their moral mindset. Because of that, victims tend ro make decisions they would not do if they had a clear, ''normal'' …show more content…
It is actually quite simple. Insane individuals tend to resort to violent and sometimes very gruesome acts that many consider evil. Adding to that, "Philosophers regard evil as a mental defect or a form of irrationality" (LaBossiere). Also, "Immoral and unethical behaviour is labelled as mental illness" (Unknown). Within the last century, a vast majority has shrugged off evil people as being mentally insane as they believe a clear-minded and civilized person could and would behave in such a way as compared to someone who is labelled insane. However, recent research suggests otherwise: "Many evil people do not suffer from any form of psychosis or perceptual, or reasoning impairment" (Cohen). This concludes that while mental illness is widely viewed for the reason people commit crimes and other catastrophes, there are some that simply do wrong because they want to and all the while have a healthy, clear, and stable