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Re:Doge.gov site has been hacked by monsieurbanana on Friday February 14, 2025 @04:14AM (#43046455)
Delusion + power + conviction doesn't always equal evil, so there has to be something missing in that equation. I'd wager it's evil.
Re:Doge.gov site has been hacked by card_zero on Friday February 14, 2025 @04:27AM (#43046541)
Though this doesn't really answer the question of motivation. Few people aim to do something that they regard to be bad. (It's possible, mind you.)
Re:Doge.gov site has been hacked by throwaway03445 on Friday February 14, 2025 @05:10AM (#43046832)
Calling something "evil" is implying an external force (often linked to religion), that I don't think should be used. It reduces the responsibility of the person doing "evil" acts.

I think the missing ingredient is simply not caring about the outcome. It could be because they don't have empathy (sociopaths), or that the society has trained them into normalising obedience to the cause (facsism / communism) or inhumanized their targets (consentration camps).

Acts can certainly be described as "evil", but I don't agree that "evil" is some type of force that affects people.

Re:Doge.gov site has been hacked by monsieurbanana on Friday February 14, 2025 @06:46AM (#43047395)
Not caring about the outcome doesn't make sense, people that are driven by something care about the outcome.

To go back to my original point, the simplistic equation falls apart if you spend a second looking for counter examples.

Sikhs give free food to any who asks, without expecting anything in return. They are deluded (they do to it please god), and need power and conviction to do so.

Re:Doge.gov site has been hacked by boxed on Friday February 14, 2025 @10:25AM (#43049276)
A good point. You can for sure accidentally do good things by being deluded and having conviction and power. One could also say that they have a small delusion (god) that gives them a bigger truth (being nice to people is good). So like their total delusion level in this regard is low.
Re:Doge.gov site has been hacked by boxed on Friday February 14, 2025 @06:58AM (#43047482)
Hitler cared about the outcome a lot. That's why he killed so many people. So your analysis has a pretty big flaw there.
Re:Doge.gov site has been hacked by throwaway03445 on Friday February 14, 2025 @11:43AM (#43050237)
I'm not a native speaker, and I see that I may have been unclear.

I was thinking of the human consequences. In my language they are almost synonyms.

They of course care about the outcome, but not the effect it has on the target group

It's strange how one can normalize cruelty. Just think of how prison rapes are joked about in media and movies, as if it is an accepted consequence of committing a crime. It is a cruel and evil act that many choose to simply ignore because it is so common

Re:Doge.gov site has been hacked by boxed on Friday February 14, 2025 @06:57AM (#43047479)
Give me a counter example.
Re:Doge.gov site has been hacked by boxed on Friday February 14, 2025 @07:51AM (#43047833)
Ah, I was thinking of an example where you have evil without those things.
Re:Doge.gov site has been hacked by monsieurbanana on Friday February 14, 2025 @06:59AM (#43047492)
Re:Doge.gov site has been hacked by boxed on Friday February 14, 2025 @10:24AM (#43049248)
Ah, I was thinking of an example where you have evil without those things.