Evilest Leader Ever

[loinburger]

Intentions have everything to do with whether or not an action is evil.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by loinburger
Intentions have everything to do with whether or not an action is evil.

Which is exactly why I wouldn't put Hitler at the top of the list.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Bodycounts alone are too simplistic. I propose a weighting system along these lines.

1- Modern technology allows killing to be easier, both in terms of ease of action and trauma to the killer. Therefore greater weighting is given to pre-modern era killers.

2- Killing for pleasure or arbitrary killing gets greater weighting that killing in wars or ideological/religious grounds.

3- Personal slaying by the leader gets far greater weighting than killing by his armies/secret police.

4- Extra bonus points for obviously pervy aspects to the killing.

I'll go for Ivan the Terrible, but there's some tough competition.

[Dis]

I think Hitler was perfectly sane. He just has some self esteem issues and fear of other humans. I think a good psychologist could have fixed him up.

[Adalbertus]

Dissident:
On a semi-related note I believe CBS is showing a series on Hitler's early life. There are already protests. For some people they cannot fathom that Hitler is not the most evil man ever to exist.

Irrespective how you rate Hitler, we have no guarantee that in future there never will be someone who is even worse. Therefore we [/I] have[I] to learn about his life (and I wish I had learned more about Stalin!) to recognize similar threads in future. The evil leaders study his life and learn from him. We have to do the same to be on the guard.
Btw. Hitler was quite intelligent. At School, I've read some articles about his youth, and there was a teacher of him who said something of "very intelligent pupil but unable to control himself". He was intelligent but misleaded, which made him blind in some spots (He couldn't imagine that the British wouldn't fight for the Germanic cause and therefore let escape the British expedition forces from Dunkerque).

Intentions have everything to do with whether or not an action is evil.

If I kill you to save you every sort of future pain, my intention may be good but I'd go to prison anyway. So I disagree in this point. Hitler wasn't plainly too stupid to see that Jews have a right to live.

[loinburger]

If I kill you to save you every sort of future pain, my intention may be good but I'd go to prison anyway.

People who aren't evil go to jail all of the time. Killing somebody by accident can get you a couple years (or more) in prison depending on the circumstances.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by loinburger
Intentions have everything to do with whether or not an action is evil.

I disagree. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

[loinburger]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
I disagree. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Well sure, nothing makes you feel like more of a useless pathetic dumbass than having good intentions go awry. If that ain't Hell, then nothing is. Having bad intentions succeed is far more rewarding.

Hell isn't other people. It's yourself.

[GePap]

There are too many rulers to figure out who was the worst. Perhaps the worst ruler of all was some psychopathic monster in Eastern Island, who helped bring their society down. Or some megalomanic in Crete at the time of Knossos who had people roasted alive for feats, only we can read linear A so we eill never know.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Yes, but St Michael doesn't play Judge on earth. Or am I stating the obvious.

[Adalbertus]

loinburger, maybe I should be clearer: I'd get the same sentence as someone who kills for hate or greed. All of them are intentional. The kind of intention doesn't make the difference.
Btw. to spare future pain was the argument of the Nazi to kill thousands of physically and mentally handicapped people.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Originally posted by GePap
There are too many rulers to figure out who was the worst. Perhaps the worst ruler of all was some psychopathic monster in Eastern Island, who helped bring their society down. Or some megalomanic in Crete at the time of Knossos who had people roasted alive for feats, only we can read linear A so we eill never know.

Thanks for your input. If you look at other threads you may find many other bonfires to piss on.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Originally posted by Adalbertus
loinburger, maybe I should be clearer: I'd get the same sentence as someone who kills for hate or greed. All of them are intentional. The kind of intention doesn't make the difference.

What kind of legal system do you call that? One where the expression "mitigation" is unknown, presumably?

[loinburger]

Originally posted by Adalbertus
loinburger, maybe I should be clearer: I'd get the same sentence as someone who kills for hate or greed. All of them are intentional. The kind of intention doesn't make the difference.

The law doesn't always consider intentions (although first-degree murder is always worse than second-degree, so there's at least one exception), but morality is all about intentions. Law and morality aren't equivalent, although they tend to overlap quite a bit.

Hell, the Nazis weren't breaking any German laws, but that doesn't mean that they weren't evil.

[Grrr]

Ming the evil Banana.