I do not object to that definition of malice, but according to it, most of the harm in the world is not done out of malice.
Boom! ie. Terrorism would seem to have a significant degree of malice involved, as would the majority of murders. Spreading lies about another person is often motivated by malice, the exceptions being at the higher end of political intrigue or sociopathy.
Instead, it’s done through insufficient interest in thinking through the consequences of one’s actions and through the natural human tendency to accentuate the good and not see the bad in oneself and one’s friends.
There is certainly a lot of that. There is more stupidity than there is evil.
But note that it is not just insufficient thinking about consequences. Simply having different preferences wherein you just don’t care about negative consequences as measured by the other results in the ‘harm’ of which we speak. Neither malice nor ignorance is required; mere rational self interest is sufficient.
Boom! ie. Terrorism would seem to have a significant degree of malice involved, as would the majority of murders. Spreading lies about another person is often motivated by malice, the exceptions being at the higher end of political intrigue or sociopathy.
There is certainly a lot of that. There is more stupidity than there is evil.
But note that it is not just insufficient thinking about consequences. Simply having different preferences wherein you just don’t care about negative consequences as measured by the other results in the ‘harm’ of which we speak. Neither malice nor ignorance is required; mere rational self interest is sufficient.
Good point, so I added, “selfishness and (to the extent that one’s motives are not selfish)”.
I like it!