SOCIETIES AS MORAL ENTITIES: ANTHROPOLOGY OF EVIL

Societies as Moral Entities: Anthropology of Evil

Societies as Moral Entities: Anthropology of Evil

Introduction

A common perception about good and evil is that they are either rewarded or punished. Religion, society, civilization and culture playas an important role in the establishment and recognition of good and evil and human actions, attitudes and behaviours are shaped through these unwritten morals and ethos. It is commonly believed that human actions and conducts are bound to results. Good actions and conducts are rewarded with something good and evil actions and conducts are punished (Polanyi, 2001, 16-54). The deliverance of these rewards or punishments may be earthly or in the afterlife. Legal structure and legislation of a country design punishments for evil actions and conducts and religious beliefs and spiritual institutions intimidate humans with unknown punishment of the hereafter. Keeping in view these factors it can be said that human actions are shaped with the intimidation of punishments, when these barriers are removed human beings may incline to evil actions and conducts. Therefore, it is important to analyse the extent to which the society is based on the moralistic principles and how it tends to avoid evil.

Societies as Moral Entities

When we speak of morality, we can say that is a resultant biological, inherent in all living things? Obviously, no. Morality exists only in human society. Moral behaviour is the product of social evolution, from the human being. Man, being a group, and interdependent, born, live and die in society, beyond its occasional loneliness. The individual is never isolated from their peers, not even wanting it. The society that contains it and submits immersed from birth to habits, customs, forms of communication, language, explicit rules, positive or implied. Nothing is alien to the individual endowed with reason (Niebuhr, 1960, 23-37). This sets it apart from other species. Think, develops logical thinking, discerning, acting according to certain cultural parameters. It has capacity to love, hate, and laughs, mourn, is much more than instinctive. Plays a role in society, and how moral conscience is what stands out quite the other living beings. The foundation of that morality, there is the urgent need of the human individual, in link with their environment, and belongs to match their social group. His individual action, provided that transcends individuality and affect their environment since man is a social being, he could never do without conscience. Finally, the moral is of fundamental importance for the cohesion of society, given that while there are positive norms that regulate social life, morality acts similarly but affirming the social, moral concepts from deep self-belief and genuine individual awareness (Niebuhr, 1960, 23-37).

Morality not subsists in itself, it is the layer depth of all others, it is meaning, not in the order of things. Only considered in a manner that is poorly located to margins of being, because human implicitly reduces its neutrality immediate morality appears as something in itself. As highlighted in ...