evil
Let an agent explain evil as a moral, philosophical and religious concept, relay major positions from philosophy and religious studies sources with attribution, describe radical and structural evil, and distinguish evil from wrongdoing in general, harm, sin and the problem of evil as a specific debate.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Understand What evil is.
Definition
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
- What is evil, and how does it differ from wrongdoing, harm, sin and the problem of evil? definition
- Is the question philosophical, religious, historical or about labelling real people, which the model avoids? boundary
Concepts
Named concepts.
Concepts
Concepts.
- What are moral, natural, radical and structural evil? definition
- Which entry fits the specific concept? action
Philosophy Philosophy.
Classic
Classic positions.
Classic
Classic.
- What did Augustine, Kant and Nietzsche argue about evil, with positions attributed? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Modern
Modern positions.
Modern
Modern.
- What did Arendt and later philosophers argue about evil after the Holocaust, with positions attributed? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Religion Religion.
Traditions
Traditions.
Traditions
Traditions.
- How do religious traditions understand evil, presented respectfully? provenance
- Is the presentation balanced? boundary
Theodicy
Problem of evil.
Theodicy
Theodicy.
- What are the main responses to the problem of evil, with positions attributed? provenance
- Which entry fits problem of evil? action
Context Society and culture.
Structural
Structural evil.
Structural
Structural.
- What is structural evil, and how is it used in ethics and theology, with positions attributed? provenance
- Which entry fits structural violence? action
Culture
Culture.
Culture
Culture.
- How is evil portrayed in literature and film? provenance
- Which entry fits villain? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Cross-cutting context
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- XCT
- Domain
- XCT.QLT
- Other names and narrower kinds
- Radical evil, structural evil
What it is Filled
Profound immorality or malevolence, discussed in religion, philosophy and ethics in relation to agents, their actions and social systems, including radical evil in Kant's moral philosophy and later in Arendt's thought and structural evil embedded in social systems; natural evil, meaning suffering from disasters without moral agency, is a related theological use outside this sense, while the problem of evil is a related debate about how evil coexists with a good and powerful God; understandings differ across traditions and are presented with attribution and respect.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent explain evil as a moral, philosophical and religious concept, relay major positions from philosophy and religious studies sources with attribution, describe radical and structural evil, and distinguish evil from wrongdoing in general, harm, sin and the problem of evil as a specific debate.
Distinguishing features Filled
- This sense concerns profound moral wrong rather than suffering from natural events alone.
- Religious and secular traditions discuss the concept.
- Definitions of evil are contested.
- The concept is linked to debates about theodicy.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Label groups of people, nations or religions as evil.
- Present one tradition's view of evil as universally true.
- Trivialise atrocities or their victims.
- Call a specific person evil as a statement of fact.
Only with a human decision
- Publishing moral judgements about real people or events.
May
- Explain how religions and philosophies understand evil, with attribution to each tradition.
- Distinguish moral evil from natural evil.
Moral aspects Filled
- Calling people evil has been used to justify persecution and violence.
- Victims of great wrongs deserve that their suffering is described seriously.
Who is affected
- Victims of atrocities
- Groups at risk of demonisation
- Believers of many traditions
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns the concept; it belongs to religious and philosophical traditions.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q3796713 - registry parent class
related
- immorality - in registry terms
- problem of evil
- Hannah Arendt - as banality of evil
- good
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.evil
- Wikidata: Q15292 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15292)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
- Kant s radical evil: Religion within the Bounds of Bare Reason, 1793 note
- Arendt s banality of evil: 1963 year - Eichmann in Jerusalem
- Leibniz s Theodicy: 1710 year
Plane XCT: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- This sense denotes profound immorality or malevolence.
- Radical evil, structural evil and moral evil are relevant concepts, while natural evil is a distinct theological use.
- Wrongdoing can be minor, harm is an outcome, sin is a religious category, and the problem of evil is a theological debate.
- Not a visible object; a concept.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- explain concepts
- relay positions with attribution
- describe named concepts
- distinguish related concepts
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Presenting one tradition s view as universal
- Labelling groups of people as evil
- Trivialising atrocities
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- No regulation
Context of use required Filled
- Not applicable; a moral concept.
- moral evil
- natural evil
- radical evil
- structural or systemic evil
- religious concepts of evil and sin
- the problem of evil
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q15292: evil - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Evil - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should radical evil and structural evil be separate primary entries?
- How should philosophy and religious sources be linked?
- How should the problem of evil be linked?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q15292/spec.json