Today’s Evil is Everyday’s Evil

Here is a fantastic essay on the nature and problem of evil.  The Truth About Evil

I link it for two reasons. First, for friends and colleagues who are worried about the world and are having their faith in human nature tested. Second, for intelligence analysts and strategists who struggle to deal with and describe the baser and meaner motivations of human organizations.

The author of this piece calls out a universal truth: Evil exists and is and always will be part of human life.

For those of us who believe in the perfectability of human life …or merely that most people are somehow good… we would do well to step back and ask where does “good” come from? Why do we assume its existence? Why do we assume it is ascendant?

Let’s not be lulled into moral sleep by relativist thinking that says, on the one hand, do not judge but then assumes, on the other hand, that somehow good will prevail. It doesn’t work that way.

We may want to dismiss religious explanations for human behavior but the Fall is not mere allegory. Good is only a matter of your conscience and your accountability structure (i.e., whom you answer to). Bad is easy, attractive and always beckoning.

Islam, for all its wonders, is no religion of peace per se’. If anything, the doctrine of jihad promises a liberation from conscience. Do evil for the sake of the reward.

In this way, it is no different than the horrible ‘isms of the 20th century. German National Socialists promised cover for evil, parading as the good. It said crush these skulls, take that stuff and you will be like giants. Ditto Marxism.

Good requires a constant inquiry into its source and its demands. Evil is always there and far too often forms an attractive and logical opposite. Evil is necessary for us to understand and describe the good. It is not a psychological disorder, not a defect, but part of our nature.

No decent intelligence analyst can avoid this fact. We have to understand and account for the meaner or baser aspects of our rivals.

This is certainly true of the failures of those advising foreign and military policy. Looking for logical and good purpose behind bad behavior proves repeatedly fatuous. Evil cannot be placated with land deals, money, promises of rights, etc. It is serving its own purpose, not trying to solve the same problems by different means.

This is just as true in analyzing rival companies, customers or suppliers in the marketplace. Assuming that rival behavior is sane, logical and rests on some algorithmic certitude is as foolish as it sounds. Pride, envy, anger, greed and all the rest of our baser emotions are at play.

What makes the analyst job more difficult (and rewarding) is that the business world has erected so many mythologies to hide these base instincts. From GAAP to “sustainability” to “shareholder value”, companies are always trying to excuse less than good and logical choices with a cloak of good intention. Discerning this and describing it for our audience is a challenge, but critical to our success.

Now, all this does not mean we should not seek the good and not be optimistic about its promise. It does say, however, don’t let it tint your glasses!