Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: "Evil is the absence of goodness..."

Expressing that human beings are born with an innate tendency to being both good and evil, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that "The concept of good and evil changes according to cultures, religions, and time. Therefore, the concept of good and evil is relative concepts."
Noting that "Evil is the absence of goodness", Tarhan expressed that "The source of evil is lack of empathy, that is, ignoring the rights, needs and feelings of others open the door to evil."

President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan discussed the psychology of evil.

Where there is no absolute good, the presence of evil is inevitable

Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that evil is not something that exists by itself; however, evil is the absence of goodness just as cold is the absence of heat and darkness is the absence of light. Tarhan also made the following remarks: "Evil is actually the absence of goodness... Just as darkness cannot be found in a place of absolute light, and cold cannot be found in a place of absolute heat; therefore, there is no evil in a place of absolute goodness. However, in an environment where there is no absolute good, the presence of evil is inevitable. The concept of good and evil has been the most discussed concept by philosophy and theologians. How good and bad are defined, these questions have been constantly discussed. The definition of evil and good depends on the point of view."

The concepts of good and evil can vary according to personal perspectives

Stating that millions of people died in the Iraq War and that the British Prime Minister at that time argued that it was beneficial for humanity in the long run by saying "History will forgive us", Prof. Tarhan expressed that "However, if you ask an Iraqi person, they will say that this war is not good or right. Similarly, a child who grows up next to a father who is a thief learns to steal, as something that is not, but right. In their life, theft is not bad. However, theft is bad by the standards of general society and moral norms. Therefore, the concepts of good and evil may vary according to personal perspectives."

Throughout history, the concepts of good and evil have been defined differently

As the philosopher Spinoza said "Good are things we like, things that make a person happy and give pleasure are good; however, things that do not give pleasure are bad", Prof. Tarhan said that throughout history, philosophers have defined the concepts of good and evil in different ways and these definitions have changed over time, names such as Socrates, Aristotle and Plato, who are among the ancient Greek philosophers, argued that the purpose of life is to be virtuous, and according to these philosophers, living a meaningful life and acting virtuously is the source of true happiness.

Contrary to this idea, Epicurus stated that 'the purpose of man in life is to pursue pleasure', Prof. Tarhan said that the concepts of good and evil evolved in the historical process, and that he explained that the absolute good is God in the heavenly religions and that there is no absolute good in the world.

The concept of good and evil is relative

Addressing the issue of whether people are prone to evil, Prof. Tarhan stated that "Human beings are born with an innate tendency to both good and evil. For example, a lion does not cause harm when it is full and does not enter the security area; however, people can harm it regardless of whether they are hungry or full for profit. Examples in history, such as Nero burning a town to cook an egg or the sacrifice of children to the gods of war, show that humans may be prone to evil. Children are sacrificed to the gods of war. The concept of good and evil varies according to cultures, religions, and time. Thus, the concept of good and evil is relative concepts."

"The Qur'an has removed the ambiguities in the concepts of good and evil"

Stating that the one who can best define what is good and what is bad is the creator of the universe, Prof. Tarhan expressed that "The one who created the universe best defines good and evil. Abrahamic religions have made significant contributions to the concepts of good and evil. For example, the fact that the Qur'an is not falsified in Islam has eliminated the ambiguities in the concepts of good and evil."

Explaining that Spinoza said, "Things that are suitable for God are good, and those that are not suitable are bad", but noting that Spinoza sees nature as a god and rejects heaven and hell, Prof. Tarhan expressed that "Human beings have free will unlike other living things. While other living things act according to their genetic code, human beings can make mental and moral choices. This free will makes people responsible for good and evil."

“As an institution, we have developed a scale of benevolence and maliciousness."

Prof. Nevzat tarhan stated that "the source of evil is a lack of empathy; that is, not considering the rights, needs and feelings of others opens the door to evil." Tarhan also noted that lack of empathy is most common in narcissistic people; however, it is also common in anti-social, histrionic and obsessive-obsessive people.

Prof. Tarhan said that "Selfishness is the main feature of evil and brings with it feelings such as jealousy, cruelty and lack of compassion. The absence of benevolent feelings reveals its malignancy. In the 2000s, forensic psychiatry at the State University of New York developed a scale of immorality. We wanted to standardize this scale in Türkiye. 'This scale varies by culture. You must do it according to your own culture.' As an institution, we have developed a scale of benevolence and maliciousness. We put it in the Psychology of Wisdom book. This scale can also be found on the Internet, and individuals can evaluate their bene volent and malevolent values."

The root cause of evil is ignorance

Prof. Tarhan expressed that "the root causes of evil are ignorance, lack of education and ignorance. As Socrates stated, as knowledge increases, evil decreases." And Tarhan also stated that lying is also the source of evil and added that "Lying weakens trust. When trust is undermined, fear increases. The person who lies cannot communicate properly by seeing others as liars and their brain is constantly on the defensive. Lying is the root of evil, and honesty is the greatest virtue. A person who aspires to this virtue does not deign to lie. Being self-absorbed seems to be profitable, but it is profitable in the short term. Being virtuous is profitable in the medium and long term.”

Mindfulness removes 50 percent of evil

Explaining that awareness removes 50 percent of the evil and the remaining 50 percent is corrected with effort, Prof. Tarhan stated that "This journey is like learning to swim, you cannot learn to swim without swallowing water. Deeds are based on intentions.' However, deeds are evaluated according to the results for those in managerial positions. The manager must predict the results and take responsibility.”

"If a person is anti-social, the punishment given to them should be increased"

Stating that people with antisocial personality disorder also make non-compliance with social norms a character trait and do not have a sense of compassion, Prof. Tarhan expressed that "Such people are considered that they have antisocial personality disorder. This is not a disease. If a person is anti-social, the punishment given to them should be increased. Because they should not get out of prison without correction. If they come out without correction, they will continue to harm society. It is also necessary to look at psychological dynamics. Secondly, there are also disorders such as schizophrenia. For example, an autistic child may kill their mother because she did not give them their food. In the mind of this child, the concept of mother is not formed. It is like a lion eating its caretaker when it is hungry. Since mirror neurons do not form in their brains, they cannot empathize and understand what the other person thinks and feels. That is why they make wrong decisions and are not responsible for what they do. A schizophrenic can kill someone because they look sideways. Their criminal capacity is questioned and if they are fully discharged, they must stay in the forensic service of the mental and nervous hospital for at least one year. They should not be discharged without treatment."

"Most of the incidents of violence against women are not criminal cases, but clinical cases"

Noting that "Currently, most of the incidents of violence against women are not criminal cases, but clinical cases," Prof. Tarhan continued his remarks as follows: "When these people are released with a restraining order because they do not receive treatment and rehabilitation, they get more angry and commit violence again. Therefore, they need to be under treatment and rehabilitation. These people with a clinical diagnosis should be taken to rehabilitation centers, not prison. A person with both the criminal type and jealousy paranoia can be cured by treating the jealousy paranoia."

"Those with antisocial personality disorder should be rehabilitated"

Stating that antisocial personality disorder will not improve, Prof. Tarhan concluded his remarks as follows:

"However, these people should be rehabilitated like drug addicts. They are not guilty, they are sick. For example, if cases of violence against women are clinical cases, they should be treated clinically. Cases of violence against women are indeed increasing. I wrote a book about it 20-30 years ago. At that time, there were 2-3 deaths per day due to domestic violence in France, while in Türkiye there were 2-3 deaths per month. Now, 2-3 women die every day in Türkiye due to violence, and we have surpassed France. It is a horrible situation and there is something wrong with it."

 

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)