The Devil Sang

Paper Summary:

This is an essay about the progression of morality. The author argues that morality progresses in human beings in one drastic, breathtaking moment, rather than gradually. This is an anecdotal, subjective view of the progression of morality.

From the Paper:

"To be truly human is to experience the universal struggle between good and evil. During early childhood, one is entirely unaware of what is "good" and what is "bad." One only knows what actions reap rewards and what actions provoke punishments. There comes a time in everyone's life when he or she discovers morals, and that time is the beginning of being truly human. That time is not a gradual shift; it is a moment, and a defining one in everyone's life though it may not seem to be that important at the time. Because that moment is mostly a strange chill on the back of one's neck after doing something evil, or a light, airy feeling of joy at having done something benevolent, it is not an especially extraordinary moment. It is only with hindsight that the true meaning of that chill or that joy may be gleaned. As it just so happens, I recall when I discovered the revolting sweetness of being malicious and first understood evil as a real phenomenon, rather than what one calls a villain on a Saturday morning cartoon."

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