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This could be expressed as "the devil is <anything> without love". The <anything> was a tool for doing good, or a heuristic approximation to Good, or a necessar
by sixo 2y ago
This could be expressed as "the devil is <anything> without love". The <anything> was a tool for doing good, or a heuristic approximation to Good, or a necessary defense against harm, but it becomes demonic when it is mistaken for Good itself. (Or "God", if you prefer—evil is idolatry.)
- api 2y agoMaybe the devil is either intelligence without love or love without intelligence. The latter can do just as much harm.
- sixo 2y agoYeah, I tend to think conversations about evil elide the distinction between two kinds of "harm". The first is like pride or the devil or idolatry, the second like "material harm". The purpose of intelligence is to predict the future and solve problems, of course, so too little of it leads to preventable mistakes. The two are related: love can direct the intelligence towards noble ends and guard against its overreach. But intelligence is needed to prevent an overreach of love and trust that would lead to loss and grief.