Was Hitler evil, if what he believed he was doing was good?
451630
It depends whether you belive that absolute truth exists, or if truth is subjective.  Absolute truth would say there are definite rights and wrongs, but subjective truth would say that it was 'his truth' that it was good what he was doing. Liberal society today is desperately trying to make peace by saying there are no absolute truths and that every thing must be tolerated except intolerance. However, most of us are good at being absolute on some things and subjective where it suits us.  Think on this though: If I were to say that the earth is not spherical but flat, then that would be 'my truth' but it would be wrong. Absolute truth does exist, both scientifically and morally, and I think we have a responsibility to look for it.
370949
There's never an easy answer to questions like this. Except for rare examples (usually people with personality disorders, such as sociopaths), you cannot classify a person as good or evil.\n\nGengis Khan did lead his people in a brilliant campaign, militarily speaking. He also ordered the slaughter of thousands, the pilleage of hundreds of villages and settlements, and all sorts of actions that would be considered good by his own people and evil by his enemies.\n\nI'd say he's neither hero nor murderer. He was a great leader, and he took measures to rule with a strong fist, a necessity at his time to control his troops and to send a message to the other nations. \n\nGengis Khan had a project that can be read either as a wish to unite the world (under his rule) or as a desire to dominate it. It all depends on which side you're on.
225075
"The evil mastermind had hatched a sinister plot to achieve his dark goals of world conquest."\n\nHey, maybe I should be a writer!
672982
I do not believe that there is such a thing as absolute good and evil; however, if there were, it would be impossible to tell the difference between the two.\n\nFor example, many people  believe that it would be evil to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians; however, this is exactly what the United States did when it dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.  Some people believe that this was not evil and actually prevented a larger number of deaths by helping to bring an end to the war, while others believe that the end did not justify the means and regard the bombing as evil, regardless of the consequences.\n\nTwo research topics which may help you better understand this issue are the religious concept of dualism and the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.\n\nDualism is the idea that there is definite good and evil, and the two are separate from one another.  Zoroastrianism, an ancient religion from Persia, was one of the very first dualistic religions.  Before Zoroastrianism, gods and goddesses were often both good and evil.  For example, Greek and Roman gods were often considered neither good nor evil but were regarded as being capable of both.\n\nIt is believed that Zoroastrianism heavily influenced Judaism during the Babylonian Exile, and it is well known that Christianity is built upon the foundation of Judaism.  Many modern-day western ideas of good and evil are a product of this Judeao-Christian ethic; and these ideas have have been passed on from generation to generation, even when Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity themselves were not.  Conflicting ethical and religious systems have often been the cause of conflicts that led to wars between peoples.  The medieval crusades are a prominent example.\n\nFriedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher who vigorously challenged the Judeao-Christian ethic and the common understanding of morality.  Nietzsche saw traits like generosity, mercy, and modesty as against the normal and natural order and declared them immoral.  It should be noted that Nietzsche did not deny the existence of good and evil, he simply redefined what was good and what was evil.  It is for this reason that he is sometimes called a moral skeptic.\n\nAdolph Hitler claimed to have admired Nietzsche's writings, and it is possible that Hitler's obsession with German world domination was a result of a value system alien to most people--a system that valued the strength of the German nation above almost all else, even human life itself.\n\nWith the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japan joined Hitler's Germany as an Axis power during World War II.  Many Americans classify this surprise attack, which killed a large number of American soldiers, as evil; however, the Japanese value system highly regards honor and sees revenge for wrongs as a duty that must be performed.  The United States had placed an economic embargo upon Japan, and the Japanese saw this as an attack which required retribution.\n\nAs referenced earlier, the war ended with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  As you can see, the definition of good and evil, and ideas about good and evil, are constantly shifting and changing, depending on who is making the judgment and the history and context of each situation.\n\nThere is no such thing as ABSOLUTE good and evil--it is all a matter of perspective and only a subjective one at that.
715103
well, hitler was the hero of his time (so people thought) he tricked and lied about what was gonna happen to the jewish people. it's very sad, but then, people didnt know better.
244642
Klara would say he was as misunderstood as other dictators in history have been.  Today Bushy is totally misunderstood. Yet Hitler did what he is doing today.  So Klara would convince the jury that if he would have won the war, then history would have been very different, treating him like a respected leader of the German nation.
115842
Completely variant on how good/evil the dictator is.
334659
[ Hitler saw active service in France and Belgium as a messenger for the 16th Bavarian reserve infantry regiment. His behaviour as a soldier was considered somewhat sloppy, but he readily volunteered for dangerous missions such as taking dispatches to and from fighting areas. Unlike his fellow soldiers, Hitler reportedly never complained about the food or hard conditions, preferring to talk about art or history. He was twice cited for bravery in action, receiving the Iron Cross, Second Class in December 1914 and the Iron Cross, First Class in August 1918, an honour rarely given to a Gefreiter. During October 1916 in northern France, Hitler was wounded in the leg, but returned to the front in March 1917. He received the Wound Badge later that year, as his injury was the direct result of hostile fire. ]\n\nNow any man who went through that much in a war is a hero to me... no matter what side he is on. \n\nHe was demented... but then he was ambitious too. And i suspect he was like me.. he couldn't stand failure. Especially ones own failures.... No wonder he was slightly off his rocker. \n\nHe saved germany's economy. \n\n[ Hitler oversaw one of the greatest expansions of industrial production and civil improvement Germany had ever seen, mostly based on debt flotation and expansion of the military. The unemployment rate was cut substantially. \nHitler also oversaw one of the largest infrastructure improvement campaigns in German history, with the construction of dozens of dams, autobahns, railroads and other civil works. ]\n\nNow a man like that is defenitely a hero for any nation... \n\n\nHitler was a brave man and a leader second to none... But was he a true Hero? \n\nI DONT THINK ANYONE CAN OR SHOULD ANSWER...
166169
In my opinon, since Satan is the ultimate evil, I'd think that he would appreciate evil deeds and congratulate those who enter Hell on whatever bad thing they did, and they would live quite nicely forever. Maybe that is why somebody would want to live in Hell.
1034256
Very good question, but I would say he is a total villain\n\nI know what you are trying to say, but even though he claims to have good reasons for what he is doing, he ultimately imposes a penalty of death on anybody he has deemed to be evil. In other words, he is acting as Judge, Jury, and Executioner, without giving the people he is killing a fair change to explain their circumstances. Furthermore, many of them are totally innocent. His vision of justice is entirely defined by him. In fact, Hitler made many of the same arguments, thinking that exterminating entire races would lead to greater peace and harmony in the long run.\n\nEven the statement "Justice is balance. You burned my house down and left me for dead, consider us even." Was not a reasonable statement because in that case Batman was being asked to kill a man without knowing anything about that man. Maybe he was a criminal, but Batman had no proof of it! If he was to trust anybody on that level it would be totally unreasonable. Furthermore, he put Batman in a situation where he had the choice of either dying himself, killing a (maybe) innocent man, or trying to escape. In fact, if it hadn't been for the fake Ra's al Ghul trying to prevent him from leaving, Batman would not have burnt down his house and left him for dead.\n\nRa's is totally evil, he is just good at making his actions sounds like they are for good reasons (like most terrorists).
1092210
first of all war is not evil, okay let me rephrase war is evil if it is to kill and murder innocent but if war is declared to stop evil for instance Hitler majorty of the world will agree that hitler was evil yes? But if it wasn't the wars he would still have his way... what I am trying to say is war is not evil if it is fought for the right reasons, for freedom, for the innocent, and against evil to stop evil i might add something later on to this but for now this is it. gtg
616476
Hitler was a Christian, here is a quote from him\n\n“I believe that I am today acting according to the purposes of the Almighty Creator. In resisting the Jew, I am fighting the Lord’s battle.”
312077
Of course it is...but that's inevitable given your earlier point about using the bible to justify just about anything.\n\nI am sure Hitler could have found good cause to use the bible to justify his actions had he not been an atheist.
163041
can we really know what is good or what is evil to say which one is winning? all the causes and all the results have some sort of evilness even though they are claimed to be good, and evil ones have some sort of goodness within. i believe in moral relativism, and thus right and wrong are variables.
68632
Because Hitler thought that they(Jews) are pretending to take control over the world,and 'his obligation' was to stop them.And he also think of Jewish people as a dirty rase so they were at the bottom on his list of 'rase quality'.\nWell,Hitler was a mad man and I don't know how he convinced all the Germans to kill Jewish people.
113876
Yes. You are obviously attempting to make a point that Hitler was not so bad as everyone thinks he was.\n\nHitler was bitter because he felt Germany was spurned by Europe in the aftermath of the Treaty of Versailles. He was a strangely enigmatic man, and what he told people about Germany becoming great once again seemed wonderful to thousands of others who felt like he did.\n\nHitler used strongarm tactics (essentially, his hired thugs beat up anyone who stood in his way, hence the SA) to become Chancellor, and then he started the new Reich. \n\nHitler had announced intents to "regain" parts of the Fatherland lost in WWI, and this obviously shows his aggression. He started moving in quickly on Austria-Hungary and also he annexed other parts of Europe, over weak European protests. \n\nHitler built up German military forces, despite the re-creation of a strong German military banned in the Treaty of Versailles. This also shows his intent to start a war.\n\nWhen Hitler invaded Poland, he started World War II. He knew the consequences, he just thought that the English wouldn't hold true to their promise to fight. He knew he could beat France and Poland, and with Stalin as an ally he didn't have to worry about watching his back.\n\nHitler started WWII, no question about it. \n\nOh, one more thing. You cite Mein Kampf as a source. However, Mein Kampf is much more of a self-glorifying propoganda novel than an actual historical book. I read that book once, and I was sickened. It was truly a look into the mind of a twisted, evil man.\n\nIf you are sympathetic to the Nazi cause, reconsider. Nazis killed over seven million people in cold blood, and millions more for their own twisted motives.
546949
hitler rose to pwer when he failed drawing shiot in vienna - that was in the roaring 20's but not roring in Germany because they lost the war. he got so mad about that those orther germans listened to him, and then he burned down that parlamant building and called a state of emergency and there was nothing looking back from ther\n\ntoo bad his only talent was making people hate jews and gays and communicsts. if he was a good artist prolly a lot of people would hav survivd. funny how that shiot works out.