Ordinary people distinguish evil from bad reliably without being able to define it

Evidence

At this level of thought, the notion of evil becomes difficult of definition or redundant. However, it is not always at this level of thought that ordinary people think about evil; in everyday thought, including that of psychologists, the notion of evil is alive and well. It may not be easy to define, but none of us have much trouble recognizing it. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3865 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

And if it is true that in the final stages of totalitarianism an absolute evil appears (absolute because it can no longer be deduced from humanly comprehensible motives), it is also true that without it we might never have known the truly radical nature of Evil. — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 13 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: People distinguish moral badness from evil by something beyond harmfulness — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3868; People make untroubled, consensual judgments of evil in daily life — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3876; People classify evil acts with certainty, consensus, and articulated principles (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Evil resists formal definition yet is easily recognized in everyday life #corroborates (0.97) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3865
• Absolute evil is evil detached from any humanly comprehensible motive #complicates (0.72) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 13