Vita's view of evil

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One of the challenges of the Anthropocene Crisis is putting a name to things that don't have names in common usage. In the absence of a name it can be difficult to communicate ideas and ultimately make things better.

One such phenomena that requires a name is the unconscionable behavior of people (mostly men) who hold great power, wealth or influence and deploy it in a manner that works against life on Earth. Consider, for example, fossil fuel executives who know that climate change can destroy civilization, and yet persist in funding new exploration and climate misinformation, and who resist efforts to decarbonize the world economy. These people and their enablers are evil. This is not complicated or divisive. We all know it.

While we all have an ecological footprint due to the unsustainable technology base of the modern economy, wealthy, powerful and influential people have a disproportionate impact on our future. They consume more, and they have a disproportionate ability to make things better or worse. When they fail to make things better, this is evil.

Vita's view on evil is summed by the words of philosopher Albert Schweitzer.

"Reverence for Life affords me my fundamental principle of morality, namely, that good consists in maintaining, assisting, and enhancing life and that to destroy, harm, or to hinder life is evil."

Evil exists all around, in the actions and intentions of those who retard the transition to a sustainable economy and all those who squander vast wealth on trivial indulgences such as space tourism, Mars colonies and super yachts.

For Vita, evil has no religious connotations (e.g. influence by the supposed devil), but relates to the conscious behavior of individuals. Evil exists in both actions and inactions: failing to take action to prevent harm to our biosphere is evil, too.

Some other terminology can be helpful in communicating evil, includes: 

Omnipath or permiapath = someone who's actions threaten life on Earth by fostering the conditions equivalent to those of the Permian Extinction.

Unconsionable evil = unscrupulous and excess actions that have severe consequences

Ecocide: unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts