Yes, extreme selfishness is a form of evil, and yes, it causes real suffering and death. But it's not the same as the evil of, say, Nazis who have hatred for certain ethnic groups, or soldiers and terrorists who (explicitly) target innocent civilians, or muggers who beat up their victims to steal money.
3. Active evil
On the other hand, when corporations engage in practices such as bribing politicians, engaging in insider trading, denying coverage to sick patients, dumping toxic wastes, and suppressing evidence of dangerous products, such evil is no longer banal. It's crossed the line to active criminality.
Some of the worst evil is the war-mongering and profiteering of the military sector, whose wars are often driven by the desire for for government contracts and, indirectly, for natural resources.
Though I'm sure some soldiers take a positive pleasure in killing, most
of them are just doing their job.
War profiteers seem pretty damn low.
But the most evil actors are the political leaders (Bush, Cheney, and the neocons) who intentionally drove the country into a war for oil, who greatly corrupted and bankrupted government, who stole elections, and who corrupted the Justice Department.
4. Obama's choices
I don't know whether President Obama realizes that his refusal to prosecute these evil-doers and to decisively break with their ideology and policy is a crushing blow to the cause of peace and justice.
To the extent that Obama continues the policies of his Republican predecessors (especially the wars), and to the extent that he defends those predecessors, Obama is damaging the Democratic Party and crushing hope.
Maybe he doesn't regard their policies as evil.
Even for Bush et.al., calling them evil is perhaps a simplification. I'm sure that in person many of them are pleasant, amiable people. I'm sure they love their children and feel sympathy when they see people suffer. Still, one can agree that people are complicated and mixed and still call evil evil.
No easy fix
There's no easy fix for economic injustice. Nationalizing all industry and giving all power and money to the government almost certainly won't work out, because there'd be even more corruption and inefficiency. The government is corrupt and who can you trust to control an all-powerful government?
Evil governments are at least as bad as evil corporations, since governments have the funds and the military power to do great damage.
We need a mixture of free market capitalism and benevolent, Western-European style, big government socialism, with adequate regulation.
3. Active evil
On the other hand, when corporations engage in practices such as bribing politicians, engaging in insider trading, denying coverage to sick patients, dumping toxic wastes, and suppressing evidence of dangerous products, such evil is no longer banal. It's crossed the line to active criminality.
Some of the worst evil is the war-mongering and profiteering of the military sector, whose wars are often driven by the desire for for government contracts and, indirectly, for natural resources.
War profiteers seem pretty damn low.
But the most evil actors are the political leaders (Bush, Cheney, and the neocons) who intentionally drove the country into a war for oil, who greatly corrupted and bankrupted government, who stole elections, and who corrupted the Justice Department.
4. Obama's choices
I don't know whether President Obama realizes that his refusal to prosecute these evil-doers and to decisively break with their ideology and policy is a crushing blow to the cause of peace and justice.
To the extent that Obama continues the policies of his Republican predecessors (especially the wars), and to the extent that he defends those predecessors, Obama is damaging the Democratic Party and crushing hope.
Maybe he doesn't regard their policies as evil.
Even for Bush et.al., calling them evil is perhaps a simplification. I'm sure that in person many of them are pleasant, amiable people. I'm sure they love their children and feel sympathy when they see people suffer. Still, one can agree that people are complicated and mixed and still call evil evil.
No easy fix
There's no easy fix for economic injustice. Nationalizing all industry and giving all power and money to the government almost certainly won't work out, because there'd be even more corruption and inefficiency. The government is corrupt and who can you trust to control an all-powerful government?
Evil governments are at least as bad as evil corporations, since governments have the funds and the military power to do great damage.
We need a mixture of free market capitalism and benevolent, Western-European style, big government socialism, with adequate regulation.
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