Is Attributing Evil a Cognitive Bias? (In-Person)

Is calling an act “evil” a moral insight, or a mental shortcut that helped our ancestors survive?

Psychoanalyst and philosopher, Aner Govrin, argues that when we label something evil, we tend to see four things: an extreme power gap between perpetrator and victim, a perpetrator who is indifferent to the victim’s vulnerability, a motive we can’t relate to, and a lack of remorse afterward.

Govrin's claim is that these perceptions are often mistaken, because perpetrators frequently see themselves as the wronged party, and ordinary people are capable of terrible acts. Yet he suggests this bias may be useful, since seeing evil as a threat helps protect us, even though the same instinct has fueled some of history’s worst atrocities.

Join us for a thoughtful discussion on Halloween night as we drink and dine at Karl Strauss Brewing Company in Anaheim.

Suggested reading:

https://philosophynow.org/issues/133/IsAttributingEvilaCognitiveBias

For access to the full article visit our Discord,

https://discord.gg/kd5dGzGMHC