What is the author’s main argument?
Theodore Dalrymple presented the article The Frivolity of Evil, which reflected his retirement from hospital and prison work. The main argument was based on the evil in society, and he discussed it, providing numerous examples obtained during his prison work. For instance, he started his article by highlighting that the prisoners do not pay their debt to society for their wrongdoing after release; rather, evil is wiped clean. Therefore, another major argument is the evil in society. The issue of focusing on evil arose from his work serving patients, especially those medically poor—and noted that from their stories and experiences in life, evil is a menace in society and is also considered human and not alien to humans.
Through experience, in work and travelling the world, it started when his mother was a refugee in Nazi Germany, and she kept mere facts about problems that significantly some aspects of evil in the household. Also, in his experience serving patients, the preoccupation with evil happened unhealthily, leading to a focus on questions such as why people commit evil. And how can it be prevented or suppressed? During his travel, some of the stated focuses occurred in Central America during the civil war, in Liberia, Equatorial Guinea and North Korea. Other aspects of evil discussed were in his hometown and country, and he highlighted that Britain had no evils associated with the government over his travel in the world. Still, rather individual evils are carried out, especially by drug dealers. For instance, he stated that in his hometown, people with debts of the drug dealers would be kidnapped, tied to beds, beaten and sometimes even murdered. Another aspect of evil is the choice women make in choosing a man who appears irresponsible despite having been a victim in the past and facing unhappiness. Therefore, as the article delves into the discussion of evil and considers it normal, its political, moral and legal constructs must be highlighted.
How does he support his main argument?
He supports the argument on the evil in the town, city, and country by providing various examples and statistical data. For instance, the evil during his mother’s era of birth, that is, in 1941, 20 years after his mother’s birth, the evil and crime rate had increased 12fold, and many were crimes of violence. These data, as the author noted, “Backed up his impression” (Dalrymple, 2004). Therefore, in explaining the evil and crime performed in society, the author used historical data to support his main arguments. Other important supports include when he explored the world and visited certain areas of the world; several encounters explained the occurrence of evil in the society and the countries mentioned at large. For instance, in Equatorial Guinea, there was a family succession of power and leadership, and the current leader was the nephew of the last leader; both were described as dictators. The dictator had killed and driven to exile, a third of the population. The victims of the exile included people who wore glasses and those who possessed printed matter. This was referred to as political evil supported by the political leaders. Also, in Liberia, there was witnessed political evil as in the more than 600 people killed in churches where they had taken refuge, and it was highlighted that the president himself slaughtered the people and controversy was developed when they were videotaped being tortured to death to cover the crime. This was also described as political evil where peoples’ lives were under government control despite strong social norms and morality in that period in African society.
In his home city and country, no political evil was being carried out. Britain has a personal dictatorship, especially from the drug dealers, who rule various areas, such as the home city of the author. For instance, it was noted that various cities have torture chambers governed by slum administrators, and many people were kidnapped and tortured. This was referred to as endemic evil. In his work of helping and attending to the patients, a 21-year-old with a complaint of being depressed and termed as unhappy. Following the life fold of the patient, it was noted that she had three children, each of different fathers, and in that time, she had been divorced by all of them. It was noted that with all three children, there was no responsible father who was custodian of the children as she was married to her first husband when she was desperate, young and had nowhere to go. The second husband was a criminal, and the third said that they were incompatible after she got pregnant and gave birth. Therefore, these social evils are rampant in modern society as the state has become a father to children from irresponsible men.
Do you agree or disagree with him, and why?
From the perspective of the author’s idea on social and political evil, I agree that there is metastasizing social pathology in Great Britain. It was highlighted that as Britain had battled with political evil many centuries ago and now faced only social evil, the social pathology was increasing. For instance, from the examples of the slum drug dealers and the 21-year-old patient who was depressed, it can be noted that social pathology is rampant in Great Britain. I agree with this point of view as it has been noted that in society, many people are depressed, especially due to poverty, family issues and violence. Also, the social pathology can be termed metastasizing with the current peer influence. Moreover, the other example of a man who escaped the security carrying cocaine and claimed that he had four children from three mothers and did not see any of the children shows increasing social pathology. From another author’s argument, I agree that the state has absolved men of the responsibility of taking care of their children as they leave their mothers, becoming single mothers and facing poverty. For instance, the author highlights that men neglecting their duty leaves the children to live in poverty, abuse, hopelessness and brutality. Also, other factors that led to social evil are the societal values, such as many children born out of wedlock. It was noted that 40% of children in Britain are born out of wedlock and that results in a rising rate of divorce and irresponsibility in society.
Insights of the readings about the course
As the article explains the political and social occurrences of evil, various philosophical concepts are acquired in this course. For instance, a great philosopher, Nietzsche’s stance on evil, argued that evil concepts should be abandoned as they do not describe evil’s moral or social reality and merely demonize enemies. Therefore, from his point of view, he would argue against the author’s point of view of metastasizing social pathology. One of the philosophers, Eve Gerrard, supported the moral phenomenology of evil and argued that wrongful actions are the root of moral horror and can be termed evil. From a theoretical perspective of evil, as the author described that political evil can result from totalitarian regimes and leaders, such as in Liberia during the slaughter of more than 600 people, Hanna Arendt analyzed evil in her writing of Origins of Totalitarianism and noted that moral concepts cannot describe the evil of totalitarian regimes as people are made corpses as they lack freedom due to increased totalitarian control.
Work Cited
Dalrymple, Theodore. The Frivolity of Evil/ Debt to Society. The social order and public safety, 2004. https://www.city-journal.org/article/the-frivolity-of-evil
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