Perspectives on Evil and Human Wickedness 2008 Conference Programme Session 9

9th Global Conference
Perspectives on Evil and Human Wickedness

Monday 10th March - Thursday 13th March 2008
Salzburg, Austria

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Conference Programme, Abstracts and Papers

Session 9: Is Evil Ever Justice?
Chair: Hsuan Huang

Human Freedom as an Act and a Choice of Good and Evil
Senka Suman
Faculty of Philosophy, University Zagreb, Croatia

The paper is based on Schelling’s book “Essence of Human Freedom” and discusses the metaphysics of freedom and the metaphysics of Evil.

In particular, Schelling takes into account the following questions:

Where is the origin of Evil?
How Evil manifests itself in the human being?
How come that Evil itself makes human freedom possible?

According to Schelling, the real and vital conception of freedom is that it is a possibility of Good and Evil. Evil, as he sees it, is not a separate unit, some universal Evil, but the capacity of a specific human being to choose Evil.
By defining freedom as the capacity for Good and Evil, he implies that the human being possess the capacity to choose Evil and, since he doesn't question the reality of Evil but its possibility, he concludes that Good and Evil are modalities of human freedom.
If the human being had only the capacity to choose Good, it would not be a proper choice, because it could not choose otherwise, in this case Evil. Therefore, its capacity to choose both Good and Evil gives a positive affirmation to its freedom. Though other creatures have the possibility of Evil, their nature is limited by the lack of the capacity to choose it, which means that only the human being has the capacity to choose Evil.
For Schelling, Evil is founded in the principle of God but, while God acts according to the necessity of its nature, which is the unity of these two principles (the principles of Good & Evil), the human being keeps them separate, which enables it to free exist as a being with the capacity to choose and make decisions.
Considering each particular nature, someone is inclined to Evil and that inclination is some type of a predilection that forms the choice of Evil. Therefore each particular act comes from the freedom of spirit, from the inner necessity of freedom itself.
The capacity for Good and Evil gives the human being a choice to create himself by his own movement through an act and a choice as well as to self-reveal the freedom by disposing with his own decisions and judgment.

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The Contradictory Portrayal of Satan in Bulgakov’s ‘Master and Margarita:’ Embodiment of Evil or Minister of Justice?
Natalia Vid
Department of English and American Studies, Faculty of Arts, Maribor, Slovenia

In this paper I explore Satan’s role in Mikhail Bulgakov’s last and most famous novel, Master and Margarita. According to many critics, among them Mikhail Bulgakov’s autobiographer, Marietta Chudakova, Bulgakov’s original intention was to write a novel about the Devil, who came on earth to do evil but did good instead. In order to clarify his position from the very beginning Bulgakov chose his epigraph from Goethe’s Faust; it is a question asked by Faust, answered by Mephistopheles: “...who are you, then?'/'I am part of that power which eternally/wills evil and eternally works good.”
Bulgakov’s Satan comes to earth in human disguise, that of Professor Woland. Throughout Christian tradition many characteristics have accrued to the Devil. He deceives, he tempts, he punishes, etc. In my paper I clarify which of these traditional characteristics of the Devil Bulgakov includes and which he does not, to create his portrait of the Devil. Although Bulgakov’s Woland does not embody every aspect of the traditional conception of the Devil, there is hardly anything in his character which lies outside this conception. However, the most interesting and contradictory side of Bulgakov’s Satan is his positive role as a judge whose punishment is always just. Only those human beings who deserve evil treatment receive it from Woland. On the other hand, he dispenses good to those who deserve it according to Biblical precedent; he is a minister of justice. These characteristics are so atypical and different from the traditional comprehension of Satan’s image that they definitely deserve special attention. As Woland says to Matthew Levi, “what would your good do if evil did not exist, and what would the earth look like if shadows disappeared from it?”

Destitution and Living Conditions of Older People in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria
Bola Amaike
Department of Sociology, University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria

The paper argues that old age destitution is evidently a sign of human wickedness. It also draws upon a range of primary and secondary sources on the impact of destitution on the living conditions of older people in Metropolitan Lagos. There is increasing evidence that the lived experiences of men and women in urban areas are not the same throughout their life course, with poverty getting exacerbated in old age because of weak social support systems. The paper interrogates the level and extent of destitution as it affects older men and women resident in Lagos Metropolis. Secondly, it provides evidence on the impact of destitution on the living conditions of older destitute vis-à-vis- their access to basic necessities of life. Study findings indicate that older destitute generally live in deplorable conditions while more male older people were found to be without the traditional African support system in old age. Respondents identified chronic poverty, urban migration, lack of income generating activities, inadequate alternative sources of income, weak family ties and frail filial piety as factors that predispose elderly into destitution. The study focused on older destitute in Lagos State, two-thirds of respondents agreed that they were indeed destitute of basic resources and desired familial relationship. The paper uses Modernization and social exchange theories of ageing as well as Situational Constraints of poverty as its explanatory tools. Our contention is that older people in urban centers stripped of their traditional roles, relevance and support system are more likely to experience severe deprivations (destitution) and contend with precarious living conditions. Old age pension or income is proposed to reduce the incidence and prevalence of poverty and destitution in old age in Nigeria.