In his bestselling “People of the Lie”, Scott Peck claims that narcissists are evil. Are they?
The concept of “evil” in this age of moral relativism is slippery and ambiguous. The “Oxford Companion to Philosophy” (Oxford University Press, 1995) defines it thus: “The suffering which results from morally wrong human choices.”
To qualify as evil a person (Moral Agent) must meet these requirements:
1.. That he can and does consciously choose between the (morally) right and wrong and constantly and consistently prefers the latter;
2.. That he acts on his choice irrespective of the consequences to himself and to others.
Clearly, evil must be premeditated. Francis Hutcheson and Joseph Butler argued that evil is a by-product of the pursuit of one’s interest or cause at the expense of other people’s interests or causes. But this ignores the critical element of conscious choice among equally efficacious alternatives. Moreover, people often pursue evil even when it jeopardizes their well-being and obstructs their interests. Sadomasochists even relish this orgy of mutual assured...