The next main meeting of the Middle Way Network will be at 7pm UK time on Sun 22nd Nov 2020. This will be the second of our series of talks and discussions on ethics, and is on the topic of evil. Evil needs to be acknowledged as an important aspect of human experience, rooted in our sense of threats and need for security from danger. Our intuitions about ‘evil’ human qualities (such as cruelty, deception, or megalomania) also often reflect aspects of absolutisation in human judgement. However, we also have a strong tendency to absolutise and project evil, to ‘demonise’ other people or things by treating them as wholly evil, when they are complex. To practise the Middle Way in relation to evil, we need to try to distinguish what is actually a threat to us from the things or people that we may unthinkingly label as ‘evil’.
There’ll be a short talk on this topic, followed by questions, then discussion in regionalised breakout groups. Some other regionalised groups will meet at other times. If you’re interested in joining us but are not already part of the Network, please see the general Network page to sign up. To catch up on the previous session, on responsibility, please see this post. If you would like catch up more with more basic aspects of the Middle Way approach, we are also holding a reading group on 29th Nov which will do this – please contact Jim (at) middlewaysociety.org if you want to join this.
Here is the video from the session:
Suggested reflection questions
- What sorts of things or people do you tend to feel are ‘evil’? To what extent do you think you are justified?
- Is it possible to identify evil judgements in a person rather than evil character?
Suggested further reading
Middle Way Philosophy 4: The Integration of Belief, 3.n (see pdf of Omnibus edition on Researchgate)
Red Book, Middle Way section 6: ‘Integrating the Shadow’
Stephen Batchelor: Living with the Devil