THE TWO SIDES
As the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde unfolds, we see a character wrestling with trying to separate his two opposing inner natures that materialize into what appears to be two different persons. Dr. Jekyll uses a mysterious potion to accomplish this but in the end finds that he cannot permanently separate the good Dr. Jekyll from the evil Mr. Hyde. This story raises questions about how we understand good and evil in humans. Because this is such a broad subject, we will look at just a few of the general ways that the scientific side and the theological side each consider this issue.
The Scientific Side
A typical example of human evil is that of an act of aggression or violence1 committed against another person. While the definition of evil is debatable, you have probably heard the term “evil” used to describe people such as Adolph Hitler or a terrorist who commit acts of mass murder. Sometimes evil is also used to describe a person’s character, but this is also usually associated with their actions.
|
There are many reasons, or justifications for why a person might choose to act in an evil or aggressive fashion such as self-defense, protecting another person, or being enlisted in a military war. Some claim that a person commits acts of aggression as a result of a particular situation or event such as emotional distress.
|
So how does science investigate or study the reasons for why a person might or might not behave in an aggressive or evil manner? One way to consider the cause is by understanding how the brain functions to direct behavior. Over time, psychologists, biologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, and others have studied this issue and many believe that “Whatever a person does, consciously or unconsciously, is a result of events occurring in the brain.” 2
|
An historical example of understanding how brain function affects behavior is from the case of Phineas Gage. Phineas was a railroad worker, who in 1848, suffered significant brain damage as the result of an explosion. Click on the link below to hear his story and the scientific explanations for how this affected his behavior.
|
The frontal and temporal lobes of the brain also control your thinking and reasoning abilities. For more information on the parts of the brain, click the link below:
|
There are also scientific studies that show how a condition affecting the brain, known as temporal lobe epilepsy, can cause a person to show aggressive and violent behaviors. Click on the link below to read more:
|
Some look to our evolutionary biology to explain this as the result of genetic programming. But theories that support this are now being questioned. Below is an excerpt from an article explaining this current controversy about whether we are altruistic in order to select benefits for our kin, or those who are related to us, or altruistic to select benefits for a social group that may be unrelated to us.
|
These are just three of many examples of how science has considered the function of the brain or biology to be responsible for the way a person behaves. Science is still discovering the ways in which the human brain functions and is affected by injury, disease, or other stimulants in the environment. Science also continues to ask questions about human nature and debates as well as changes the answers. And just like science that explores the biological reasons for acts of good and evil, theology too looks for answers. Let’s take a look at the theological side to this issue.
The Theological Side
Traditionally there have been two ways to define evil; moral evil, which involves the actions of humans and natural evil which includes things like earthquakes, floods, and things that do not come from humans. The Scientific Side of this lesson discussed how science studies reasons for how the brain or biology of a person might or might not cause aggressive, evil, or altruistic behavior. As we move to the Theological Side we will look at how the cause and source of sin and evil are understood within a religious belief.
Christianity:
For Christians, sin is basically placing created things, including humans, as a priority over God. It can also be thought of as turning away from God and therefore placing trust in created things. In thinking about sin there is a difference “between actual sins (particular transgressions of God’s will) and original sin (the radical and universal sinful human condition).”5 Original sin sees sin as a human condition. For some traditions, such as Lutheranism, humans are considered to be both sinner and saint. Lutherans believe that humans have free will 6, as a gift of God, but live in a state of sin that we cannot be free of by our own merits. Another Christian view of sin, as understood in the Catholic Church, includes specific actions that are considered to be sinful. Click on the link below to hear more about this: |
Judaism:
Below is a summary of Jewish beliefs about good and evil. Click on the link to read more: |
Buddhism:
Buddhism, as the Dalai Lama explains, believes that humans are not naturally evil. Click on the link below to read an interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama: |
So now that we have looked at the scientific and theological side of good and evil, we can see that each one has a way of understanding human behavior. So what is the big deal? Click on the next tab, or the button below, and we’ll take a look at what causes people to choose only one side or the other.
1 Note: Not all acts of aggression result in violence. Violence can be understood as “attacks that are harmful or destructive to subjects or objects and that threaten, weaken, or break natural, social and cultural rules.” Diaz also states that an emotion of anger typically precedes an act of aggression whereas acts of extreme violence are not always associated with anger. Diaz, J. L. (2010), The psychobiology of aggression and violence: bioethical implications. International Social Science Journal, 61: 234, 240. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2451.2011.01760.x
2 Hoagland, H. (1969), BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF AGGRESSION AND VIOLENCE. Zygon, 4: 206–221. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9744.1969.tb00160.x
3 http://www.orissajp.com/pdf/08/8.pdf
4 http://discovermagazine.com/2011/jan-feb/03#.UcCCpfZ4b4M
5 Daniel L. Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology. 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004), 155.
6 See Lesson Page Four - "Making Connections" for the full article using this definition of Free Will:
In summary, as Lutherans we don’t accept the old line, “the devil made me do it,” though we acknowledge that we are subject to devilish influences from within and without. But as God’s children, created in God’s image, we are still free to choose our actions. Those exceptional circumstances in which disease or damage to a person’s brain constrains their human behavior and actions (like causing them to forget their
loved ones, to hear voices others don’t, or to act irrationally), only offer further evidence of the intimate connection between our minds and our brains, and the gift of God in the freedom we enjoy in their normal functioning.
2 Hoagland, H. (1969), BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF AGGRESSION AND VIOLENCE. Zygon, 4: 206–221. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9744.1969.tb00160.x
3 http://www.orissajp.com/pdf/08/8.pdf
4 http://discovermagazine.com/2011/jan-feb/03#.UcCCpfZ4b4M
5 Daniel L. Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology. 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004), 155.
6 See Lesson Page Four - "Making Connections" for the full article using this definition of Free Will:
In summary, as Lutherans we don’t accept the old line, “the devil made me do it,” though we acknowledge that we are subject to devilish influences from within and without. But as God’s children, created in God’s image, we are still free to choose our actions. Those exceptional circumstances in which disease or damage to a person’s brain constrains their human behavior and actions (like causing them to forget their
loved ones, to hear voices others don’t, or to act irrationally), only offer further evidence of the intimate connection between our minds and our brains, and the gift of God in the freedom we enjoy in their normal functioning.