Can you consciously act evil or is a sense of blindness obligatory for creating anguish? Gwen Adshead’s Capacities and dispositions: reflections on Good and Evil from a forensic psychiatrist delves into the necessary components that contribute to evil in our society. Adshead, a forensic psychiatrist herself, attempts to demonstrate that those in an evil state of mind are unaware of the cruelty of their actions and the people that may be affected by their choices. She believes that evil doers act subconsciously and are blind to the details of their situation that may deem their twisted desires to be immoral. It is perceived that evil doers assume a sense of blindness which leads them to lack an understanding of the cruelty of their actions;…show more content… Adshead adopts the perspective that those who act upon evil urges must be unaware of the harm that ensues from their decisions. Adshead expresses her stance on one’s ability to knowingly harm others by stating, “Certainly there seems to be an important theme of ‘not seeing’ aspects of reality that are there to be seen, so that in an evil state of mind we do not see other people's distress, we do not see the injuries we do and we do not let ourselves know some important aspects of experience” (3). Adsheads feels as though reality is misconstrued in the minds of evil men and women. She believes that evil doers only commit cruel acts because they are “‘not seeing’ aspects of reality”; therefore, it is Adshead’s understanding that all people see evil and good as black-and-white. If a wrongdoer has seen the “important aspects of an experience,” they would know that their actions are not justified, and their consideration of committing evil crimes would cease. Additionally, Adshead states that the “‘not seeing’” state of mind that occupies evil men and women prevents them from understanding the resultant consequences of their actions. Their blindness prevents them from seeing and comprehending the destruction and pain that they
