Wanted Undead or Alive:. Джонатан Мэйберри

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СКАЧАТЬ they could accept that some kind of monster came under cover of darkness to do deliberate harm to the child, then this—however horrific and tragic—made a kind of sense. There are enough parallels in nature to give it sense: animals hunting and killing one another. The leap from the knowledge of animal predators to a belief in supernatural predators is not that big.

      Such beliefs even persist into modern days. After 9/11 some televangelists declared that it was God’s punishment on gays that led the al Qaeda to commit their terrorist acts.

      Yes, take a moment here to admire the scope of that stupidity.

      Which brings up another twist on the good and evil thing. For some individuals, the supernatural intrusion is on the part of a holy entity—God, an angel, etc.—against one or more humans who have embraced evil. This thinking has been the basis for every “holy war” in history in that one or both sides feel that they have been empowered and mandated by the Eternal to go lay a smack-down on the [fill in the blank—infidel, unholy, heretical, whatever].

      There is enough evidence to support the contention that many organized religions have fostered beliefs in evil. It’s good church politics and it’s a great sales tool. Depending on your own personal beliefs it may even be true.¹

      Good vs. Evil

      “The most effective good versus evil storytelling I’ve been a part of was Pan’s Labyrinth. So complex and so reminiscent of the wrestling of childhood demons we all had to conquer. Being involved with the Hellboy world has also involved fleshing out a struggle of an inherent evil within us that we have the choice to overcome or not…Good and evil battle it out in our hearts every day. Watching or reading fantasy stories where these forces have names and faces inspires us to go back home and finish that battle of our own.”—Actor Doug Jones plays Abe Sapien in the Hellboy films, among other roles.

      The belief in supernatural evil has flickered a bit in modern scientific times, as seen in the case of SIDS. Nowadays we know that SIDS exists, even if we don’t understand everything about it. Because we know that SIDS exists there seems little to support the old belief that an invisible vampire is the cause of these tragedies. Similarly, an understanding of catalepsy, catatonia, porphyry, rabies, and other medical disorders can account for many of the incidents of the dead rising, erratic behavior, skin pallor, and other symptoms that are commonly attached to monsters like vampires and werewolves.

      THE PHILOSOPHY OF EVIL

      Western philosophers have tended toward a different view of evil, seeing it as an expression of base human emotions such as greed, anger, frustration, resentment, envy, or lust. In Plato’s Dialogues, Socrates (c. 469–399 B.C.) observed, “From the deepest desires often come the deadliest hate.”

      The great philosopher also said, “The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.” This view that evil was an expression of human ignorance is easy to understand when we view human behavior. Humans tend to fear what they don’t understand, and fear of a thing very often leads to violence toward that thing.

      Socrates also viewed retribution as a source of evil, as he eloquently stated: “One who is injured ought not to return the injury, for on no account can it be right to do an injustice; and it is not right to return an injury, or to do evil to any man, however much we have suffered from him.”

      This philosophic view of evil is more centered on human weakness and failure than on any supernatural force or deliberate maliciousness.

      Sociologically speaking, evil is a useful way for science to quantify aberrant behavior. The more comfortable word among sociologists and psychologists, however, is “sociopath.” This is a person who demonstrates extreme self-serving behavior, an apparent lack of a conscience, and a marked inability to empathize with others. Sociopaths generally feel no remorse for harming other people and seldom demonstrate any restraint in doing so. Though many do possess enough control to be careful when avoiding implication, as seen in the actions of so many serial killers.

      However, sociopathic personality disorder—previously called psychopathic mental disorder—as a label or explanation is frequently called into criticism by the general public, law enforcement, and the clergy because it “appears” to be offered as an excuse (though not a justification) for very bad behavior. Some researchers even hold that this label holds no more real weight than the label of “evil” and again here we cross over into the question of whether the sociopath is a product of nature or nurture, or whether his actions are motivated purely by choice. This debate has been raging since the early days of Freud and Jung and there’s no light at the end of that philosophical tunnel.

      And this ties to a viewpoint presented by the Dutch philosopher Benedict de Spinoza² (1632–1677), who said, “So everyone, by the highest right of Nature, judges what is good and what is evil, considers his own advantage according to his own temperament…” A view that suggests that the difference between good and evil is merely one of personal inclinations.

      Choice.

      Why Write About It?

      “It’s at the core of our lives. Statistics tell us that we all cross swords with some form of evil at some point in our lives—maybe in nothing more sinister than getting shortchanged by a cashier, or having a wallet lifted by a pickpocket. But if we’re unlucky, we come face to face with the kind of uncompromising evil that makes supernatural evil seem mild. Evil exists, and we all know it does. Storytelling helps show us that we can face it and survive.”—Rachel Caine is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Morganville Vampires, Weather Warden, and Outcast Season series.

      DEVILISH DUALITY

      Most cultures in which a belief or understanding of evil can be found view it as one-half of a philosophic whole; the other being good. This duality—the eternal struggle of good versus evil—takes many forms.

      It’s fair to say that evil cannot exist without good. If nothing else, it’s a form of measurement. You can’t have up without down, hot without cold. One state is defined by the distance from its opposite. A Catholic view holds that God cannot exist without the devil, that they are inseparable. And although this doesn’t actually square with scripture, it’s both a compelling argument to reinforce faith and a simple explanation for the way in which the universe works.

      A more new age viewpoint is that the universe is composed of positive and negative energy, always in motion and always seeking balance. This view of an energetic relationship between the extremes is an attempt to excise human emotions and personification from the natural order. This philosophy isn’t new, of course, but it serves as the secular name for the concept of yin and yang.³

      Evil Impulses

      “We all have the capacity to be good, evil or a combination of both. Do we act on our evil impulses is the ultimate question. There is a fascination and repulsion with people who are so monstrous. On the flip side, we fantasize about being a true hero—someone who has superpowers or is able to cure a deadly disease and save the world. That is why endless TV shows, films and novels are about superheroes and villains. We all like to see the good guy win even though we may secretly identify with the bad guy.”—Ellen Dubin portrayed Giggerota the Wicked on Lexx and appeared in The Collector, Highlander: The Raven, and Forever Knight.

      This belief is known as “moral dualism,” and the key concept is that there is a constant and eternal struggle between opposite forces. Call them good and evil, light and dark, benevolent and malignant, or order and chaos.

      WWJD?

      Clerics, philosophers, СКАЧАТЬ