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I agree that there is a connection between wrong doing and ignoring wrong doing, but I'm not sure I would say the latter is worse than the former. Actually committing a bad act requires a conscious decision to perform it, and then taking the steps to carry it out. Ignoring evil is a passive act.
Really, I think his statement is assuming that the evil doer is somehow on a lesser plane than the non-evil doer, so the non-evil doer should be held to the higher standard of proactively trying to stop the bad act. I assume all people are ethically equal, and therefore actively doing something wrong is worse than passively doing nothing.
I do, however, like that he brought it up, since many people do try to hide behind the fact that they weren't technically the one who committed the greatest wrong, thereby trying to claw their way onto high ground they're not entitled to. Many Nazi war criminals tried that: "but I was just following orders!" I don't think you can go so far as to call yourself innocent if you could have done more to stop a bad act.
Really, I think his statement is assuming that the evil doer is somehow on a lesser plane than the non-evil doer, so the non-evil doer should be held to the higher standard of proactively trying to stop the bad act. I assume all people are ethically equal, and therefore actively doing something wrong is worse than passively doing nothing.
I do, however, like that he brought it up, since many people do try to hide behind the fact that they weren't technically the one who committed the greatest wrong, thereby trying to claw their way onto high ground they're not entitled to. Many Nazi war criminals tried that: "but I was just following orders!" I don't think you can go so far as to call yourself innocent if you could have done more to stop a bad act.
voted helpful: roseflr
I don't know that one is any worse than the other. Although, if you think of it in mathematical terms...
If one person does something evil, that's one evil thing. If one person ignores everytime another person does something evil, well that's an infinite number of wrongdoings. But, who gets to be the judge of what is evil and what isn't?
If one person does something evil, that's one evil thing. If one person ignores everytime another person does something evil, well that's an infinite number of wrongdoings. But, who gets to be the judge of what is evil and what isn't?
It's not a new notion. Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and author of the book 'Night', has a famous quote, “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference”.
In fact there is another famous poem about indifference in the Holocaust:
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came...
In fact there is another famous poem about indifference in the Holocaust:
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came...
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