Yesterday, 29 October, I had the pleasure of taking part in the Vilnius University Discussion Club debate "Evil – does it exist?", held at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania.
Together with philosopher Paulius Gritėnas, journalist Urtė Karalaitė and legal psychologist Dr Kristina Vanagaitė, we set out on a complex but fascinating discussion: does evil exist objectively, or is it merely a category created by human consciousness and morality?
We talked about physics, biology, philosophy and human behaviour – about how the principles of order, chaos and destruction carry over from the physical world into social relationships and moral questions. We looked for points of contact between the natural sciences and the humanities.
The debate was moderated by PhD student Ieva Šiugždaitė, who managed to bring together the different expert perspectives and guide the conversation through difficult and not always comfortable questions.
The topic attracted record interest – there were not enough seats for everyone in the Statehood Hall, and some people listened to the debate sitting on the floor.
You can watch the full recording of the debate on the Vilnius University YouTube channel:
If the video does not show, watch it on YouTube: VU Diskusijų klubas: blogis – ar jis egzistuoja? (in Lithuanian)
Heartfelt thanks to the Vilnius University Discussion Club, our moderator Ieva Šiugždaitė, my fellow speakers and everyone who came.
Perhaps the most interesting questions are the ones that have no single simple answer.
Before the debate, we talked about it on LRT: On LRT's Labas rytas, Lietuva: does evil exist?