The principle of evil consists in messing into other people’s affairs.

— Lewis Hyde, The Gift

i don’t think i have ever seen evil this succinctly defined… there seems to be a limiting but profound truth to it… evil exists between “intelligent” beings only… it is not a general condition of the universe even if it is a general condition of humanity…

Justice, good, evil, right and wrong are human constructs, not universal principles. The only way to apply these concepts usefully is with thoughtful discussion and debate from varied points of view. In this way we achieve consensus and the greatest good for the greatest number.

… in light of my earlier post on Francis Bacon and Bill Cosby…

The Dilemma of Brilliant Jerks, David Shaywitz, The Bulwark…

Perhaps, with the appropriate refinements, we can create the space for a new category of equally effective—and ideally, even more effective—transformative leader to emerge; this is the dream and what I’d wish for myself, my colleagues, my family.

But it’s also possible that, in our eagerness to minimize offense, we will instead condemn ourselves to anodyne leaders incapable of profoundly challenging the status quo. Worse still, such organizational stasis might even pave the way for a disruptive, malignant narcissist eager to step into the breach.

… i will set aside for the moment a question about whether the current ever growth goal of capitalism is a good thing, it is another interesting example of how genius walks hand in hand with darkness… is it possible or even desirable to have great creators that are as pure as the driven snow?…

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