1008
me_irl
(sh.itjust.works)
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2025
1008 points (100.0% liked)
me_irl
6508 readers
789 users here now
All posts need to have the same title: me_irl it is allowed to use an emoji instead of the underscore _
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
"I told you once that I was searching for the nature of evil. I think I've come close to defining it: a lack of empathy. It's the one characteristic that connects all the defendants. A genuine incapacity to feel with their fellow man. Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy."
-- Gustave Gilbert (After interviewing Nazis post-WWII)
an empathetic society is a cooperative society, a socialist society.
capitalism is completely indifferent to the human factor, competition is about few winners and many losers. unemployment is desirable, poor people must be allowed to die.
people think economics is a science but it doesn't consider human nature, "everyone tries to maximize their personal profit" isn't an anthropological statement it's capitalism restated.
This is borderline using genetic arguments, ironic for Nazis. If people have learned to suppress their feelings the incapacity can be strong but is not genuine.
a lack of empathy isn't the source of corruption, money is. a lack of empathy is just a necessary pre-requisite.
If you want to understand evil you'll need to observe it in yourself. Secondhand observations will not do.