Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 38, Number 13. 12th June 1975

Collective Evil Defined

Collective Evil Defined

The phrase may be defined as individuals or groups doing acts of 'evil' because they perceive some degree of social permission in what they do, with the result that they do not see their actions as being 'evil' at the time. Examples of this phenomena may be Watergate, the atrocities committed by the Americans in Vietnam, especially the My Lai massacre. These actions were done because the offenders saw within the authority structure some degree of subtle permission to commit evil.