Our projection of goodness creates a blindness to evil

In a few days, the US presidential election will take place, with potentially far-reaching consequences. Donald Trump is a former president who has repeatedly and openly attacked the democratic rule of law . He has a serious chance of being re-elected. This article is an urgent warning against Trump and similar politicians. It examines why we as a society often fail to recognize the deliberate evil of some individuals. Our blindness to evil can have dangerous consequences for both individuals and society.

The projection of goodness

Many people tend to interpret the behavior of others through the lens of their own moral values. We often assume that others share the same basic principles, such as honesty, helpfulness, empathy, and respect for democratic norms. This tendency, which I call projection of goodness, involves projecting our own positive intentions and moral standards onto others.

While this trust can facilitate social interactions, it can also lead to a blindness to evil. Because we expect others to act with good intentions, we find it difficult to comprehend that some individuals consciously and deliberately act immorally. They pursue their own self-interest at the expense of others and society.

This blindness makes us vulnerable to manipulation and deception by immoral people, especially when they aspire to positions of power. It is therefore essential to be aware of our tendency to project goodness. By remaining alert and critical, we can recognize immoral behavior without losing our faith in humanity.

The D-Factor: Scientific Insights into Intentional Evil

Recent scientific research has introduced the concept of the D-factor. This is an umbrella term for negative personality traits such as narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. These traits share a common core: the conscious pursuit of personal gain at the expense of others. Individuals high in the D-factor lack empathy and have a cynical worldview. They deliberately choose to act in a manipulative and harmful way. They disregard social norms and justify their actions by believing that advancing their own interests is justified, regardless of the negative impact on society.

An example

To give a small example of Trump’s deliberate wickedness, I refer to allegations made by Jeffrey Epstein about Donald Trump. Epstein alleged that Trump had a sophisticated strategy for having sex with the wives of his friends. According to Epstein, Trump invited his male friends to his office in Trump Tower to talk about their sex lives. During these conversations, Trump would ask personal and intimate questions, such as, “Do you like having sex with your wife? How often do you have sex with her?” He would then challenge them to have sex with a woman he would have come over specifically. Unbeknownst to the friends, Trump had arranged for their wives to secretly listen in on the conversation via speaker phone. Epstein alleged that Trump then used this information to approach the wives. Overhearing their husbands sharing intimate details and possibly being willing to cheat on them caused the women to become angry and hurt. Trump allegedly exploited these emotions by offering himself as a confidant and ultimately a lover. He took advantage of the vulnerable situation he himself had created.

• Listen To The Jeffrey Epstein Tapes: 'I Was Donald Trump's Closest Friend'

The Danger of Immoral Leaders

Underestimating the conscious evil of immoral individuals can have far-reaching consequences. Especially when such individuals are attracted to positions of power. Brian Klaas, a London-based researcher and Washington Post columnist, has written about this in his book Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us. He examines why bad people so often end up in positions of power and how we can prevent them from abusing these positions.

Klaas argues that power can not only corrupt, but also attract the wrong types. People with a hunger for power are happy to offer themselves for positions of power. These individuals, often with so-called dark-triad personalities, are particularly good at obtaining power and at the same time dangerous in positions of power. They are skilled at manipulating others, can come across as charming when it suits them and lie and cheat to get their way.

Why we keep underestimating

Our tendency to see the good in people contributes to a dangerous underestimation of immoral leaders. It is unimaginable, uncomfortable, and frightening to recognize that someone is deliberately and deliberately acting in ways that are diametrically opposed to our own values. This cognitive dissonance makes it difficult to recognize the gravity of the situation and take appropriate action.

Breaking the Blindness to Evil

To limit the influence of immoral leaders, we must break through our blindness to evil. Education and awareness are crucial to understand how a small minority deliberately puts self-interest above the common good. Strengthening democratic institutions, protecting the rule of law and ensuring transparency are necessary. Only in this way can we maintain the integrity of our society. Organizing countervailing power and establishing control mechanisms ensure that leaders cannot continue unhindered. Leadership must always be temporary and subject to checks and balances.

On a personal level, it is important to critically examine the motives and actions of leaders and to act when they threaten our democracy. By actively participating in the democratic process, making well-informed choices and addressing abuses, we can prevent immoral individuals from gaining positions of power.

Conclusion

Recognizing that some people have an immoral orientation does not mean that we think they are inherently and unchangeably bad. We maintain a growth mindset, even with regard to them. But we must not be blind and naive. There must be no taboo on the fact that some people, even a small minority, have a structurally immoral orientation.

The challenge is to lose our blindness to evil without losing our own goodness or trust in our fellow man. It is important to be vigilant and recognize immoral behavior, while maintaining our values ​​of empathy and integrity. By correcting our projection of goodness, we can respond effectively to attacks on democratic values ​​and social cohesion, without becoming cynical. It is a collective responsibility to prevent individuals who consciously and purposefully act at the expense of others from gaining positions of power in which they can cause lasting harm. Only by being vigilant and action-oriented can we protect and strengthen the foundations of our free society, while continuing to believe and invest in the good in people.