Is there any difference between stupidity and evil?

[Willum]

OK, obviously they are not the same...
So rounding down the context...

Obviously anyone can do something stupid and have ill effects and not mean it to be evil, and not be evil, despite effects.

But can anyone ever perform a deliberately evil act, and not actually be stupid?

[JP Cusick]

Yes = many people are intentionally evil.

That is being accurate and true.

They are intelligent and smart and they deliberately do the evils which they choose to do, and they do it based on their own evil intentions.

Then according to you it is intelligent and smart to deliberately do evil things.

There can be no escaping this conclusion based on your argument.

That conclusion of yours is ridiculous.

A person being smart and intelligent does not thereby make their evil actions as smart or intelligent.

Yes there are stupid actions and stupid things people do - but the person their self is not stupid.

A person is not stupid just because they do some thing stupid.

Highly intelligent people do stupid things - just as do we all.

The action might be stupid but not the person.

Just as an uneducated and or unintelligent person can still do smart things.

Choosing to deliberately do evil is a choice - it is not a measure of intelligence.

[Divine Insight]

That conclusion of yours is ridiculous.

A person being smart and intelligent does not thereby make their evil actions as smart or intelligent.

A smart and intelligent person doesn't do evil things by the very definition of what smart and intelligent means.

Yes there are stupid actions and stupid things people do - but the person their self is not stupid.

If they are doing stupid things then they are clearly stupid. By definition.

A person is not stupid just because they do some thing stupid.

They probably don't want to admit it, but yes, if they are doing stupid things they are stupid. By definition.

Highly intelligent people do stupid things - just as do we all.

If they are doing stupid things then they are indeed stupid, by definition.

The action might be stupid but not the person.

The only way that could be true is if the person is not in control of their actions.

Just as an uneducated and or unintelligent person can still do smart things.

If they are doing smart things then who are you to say that they are unintelligent?

Choosing to deliberately do evil is a choice - it is not a measure of intelligence.

Unless you want to claim that deliberately doing evil things is an intelligent thing to do, then your claim here cannot be true.

[JP Cusick]

If they are doing stupid things then they are clearly stupid. By definition.

You are just expressing the perspective of your own superiority complex.

And I have no counter argument for that.

You just keep on calling people as stupid - and other people will view your self accordingly.

We all reap as we sow.

[Divine Insight]

If they are doing stupid things then they are clearly stupid. By definition.

You are just expressing the perspective of your own superiority complex.

Excuse me? Please quote where I have ever claimed to not be stupid?

I sincerely hope that I have never made that claim because that will indeed be my defense should I ever find myself standing in judgement. I will absolutely claim stupidity and place the blame on whoever it was the might have designed my brain.

In fact, think about it. People are often offended if their intelligence is brought into question, like as if they could somehow be responsible for their level of intelligence. But that's a fallacy right there. No one is responsible for their level of intelligence anymore than they are responsible for the color of their eyes.

So there is no pride to be had in being intelligent since it cannot be of our own doing. Nor should their be any shame in being stupid since this would equally be beyond our control.

Clearly there is a problem here if we are going to imagine a God who passes judgement on us based on our intelligence. We can only be as intelligent as this God had created us to be. Therefore judging us for our level of intelligence is absurd.

Yet, choosing to do intentionally evil acts is clearly a stupid thing to do. Therefore religions that have a God judging humans based on their actions cannot be true.

The reason none of this makes any sense to you is because you have not yet realized that secularism necessarily must be true. OR if there is a magical supernatural creator, it cannot be interested in judging the behavior of humans. This is because evil behavior is necessarily stupid behavior. Therefore this God could only be judging people on how well he had done in designing their brains. Anyone who commits an act of intentional evil necessarily has a defective brain.

There's no getting around this. Unless you want to claim that intentionally choosing to commit an evil act is a perfectly healthy and intelligent choice.

This pretty much proves that either the secularists are right, or some non-judgemental religion like possibly Buddhism might be true. But religions where a God judges people for intentionally choosing evil cannot be true.

Until you are prepared to recognize that a judgemental God makes no sense, you'll never be able to see why choosing to commit an evil act is stupid. Because in order for a judgemental God to be true, committing an evil act cannot be stupid. But that's an oxymoron.

[JP Cusick]

If they are doing stupid things then they are clearly stupid. By definition.

You are just expressing the perspective of your own superiority complex.

Excuse me? Please quote where I have ever claimed to not be stupid?

Cutting down our self is not the same as cutting down other people.

You are misusing that word as your own cop out, where you can shirk your own responsibilities by claiming to be stupid.

But calling other people as "stupid" is just expressing your own superiority because they being stupid allows for your self to be the smarter one.

I do not care if you call your self as stupid, but do not expect anyone including God to ever respect you for that fake humility.

[Divine Insight]

Cutting down our self is not the same as cutting down other people.

See therein lies your error. You are thinking that being called stupid is a "cut down".

But you cannot possibly be anymore responsible for your level of intelligence than you are for the color of your eyes.

It makes no sense being offended by things that are beyond our control.

I would love to not be stupid. Unfortunately there is no such thing as a human who is not stupid. At best, all that can exist are humans who refuse to confess to it.

[OnceConvinced]

They are intelligent and smart and they deliberately do the evils which they choose to do, and they do it based on their own evil intentions.

In what way is it intelligent and smart to do evil?

You talked about Hitler earlier and said he was smart and intelligent. He was intelligent for sure, but do you see it as smart to kill millions of Jews and homosexuals? Do you think it is smart to try to conquer the whole world, biting off more than you can chew, like Hitler did? I don't. I think it was stupid and I'm sure God would have too.

In real life Courts-of-Law there is a concept of human conscience which proclaims that all people know right from wrong, and so claiming to be stupid is never an acceptable defense in a Court, and in this the Courts are correct. Link HERE.

It may not be an acceptable defence in court, unless of course the court were the ones who genetically engineered you to be stupid, which would be the case with God as he supposedly knitted us together while we were in our mother's womb. He designed every piece of us, including our brain.

But surely it's irrelevant whether its an acceptable defence or not? As Forrest Gump says, stupid is as stupid does. Would you say it was stupid or smart for someone to say imprison children as sex slaves?

I'm completely in agreement with DI in this one. If someone is deliberately setting out to perform evil acts then they are stupid, not smart. "Intelligent" is another matter all together.

Yes there are stupid actions and stupid things people do - .

You don't think that doing evil is a stupid thing to do?

but the person their self is not stupid

If a person is deliberately doing evil I would not call that person smart. Especially not if he is knowingly angering God.

Perhaps we should see what the bible says on this matter? It quite clearly states that if you do evil, then you are stupid (foolish)

Proverbs 14:16
One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.

Jeremiah 4:22
“My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.�

Psalm 69:5
O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

[otseng]

If they are doing stupid things then they are clearly stupid. By definition.

You are just expressing the perspective of your own superiority complex.

And I have no counter argument for that.

You just keep on calling people as stupid - and other people will view your self accordingly.

We all reap as we sow.

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[William]

OK, obviously they are not the same...
So rounding down the context...

Obviously anyone can do something stupid and have ill effects and not mean it to be evil, and not be evil, despite effects.

But can anyone ever perform a deliberately evil act, and not actually be stupid?

What is and 'evil act' and what is 'stupidity'?

Are these not simply subjective concepts which hold different individual and group opinions in relation to the answers?



Do you have an answer to your question Willum?

[Willum]

[Replying to post 19 by William]

No, I don't have answers, that why I posted.
DI, as usual wrote something that got me thinking - and suddenly I could not see the difference between stupidity and evil.
Unless you were a Jew/Christian and ate pork or something (eg.).

I would like to praise and thank contributors to this post.