Where does the difference between a mistake and evil lie? A mistake arises from ignorance, or from knowing yet acting carelessly or inadvertently — and so the error occurs. But a mistake is not evil; the two must be clearly distinguished. A mistake and evil are entirely separate things and must not be conflated.
A mistake is a matter of carelessness, inadvertence, or insufficient foresight — one acts and an error result. Or one knows what ought to be done and endeavors to do it, yet one’s skill and proficiency fall short, causing harm in the process — and so a mistake is made. But it is not yet evil.
What, then, is evil?
Evil is this: knowing full well that what one is about to do is wrong — and proceeding to do it anyway. That is what is called evil.
April 30th, 2014
