果冻影院

There's about 8 billion humans on planet Earth. No matter how cruel any of them is, none of them is Devil-level-evil.听

Given this fact, why are we even asking 鈥淲ho is the Devil?鈥� Presumably, it's for religious reasons. So it鈥檚 interesting to ask this question of academics at 果冻影院, given that this was the first university in the UK established on a secular basis, and famously described as 鈥渢hat Godless institution in Gower Street鈥�. We don't have a department of theology here, and never have. You鈥檒l have to take your answer from a philosopher (and indeed a 鈥渇reethinking philosopher鈥�, to use a phrase from around the time 果冻影院 was founded).听

Several religions mention the Devil, or devils, or something similar. Since there isn鈥檛 space to survey all the religious answers here, I鈥檒l focus my answer on some very broadly Christian views.听

That鈥檚 partly for personal reasons. As a child, I was terrified of the Devil. I thought he鈥檇 tempt me to do bad things; that I wouldn鈥檛 be able to resist; that I鈥檇 end up joining the side of darkness; that I鈥檇 be punished for all eternity. All scary stuff, for a child. Maybe, in writing this, I can give some answers to my past self.

I just mentioned a few characteristics associated with the Devil (the supreme tempter, punished for all tempter). If we鈥檙e going to ask about the Devil, we鈥檒l need to pick out some of those characteristics specifically. So let鈥檚 start by considering:聽

鈥� Is there a Devil, who will be punished for all eternity? 鈥�

This needs to be nipped in the bud. According to Thomas Aquinas, Heaven wouldn鈥檛 really be paradise, unless the blessed (in Heaven) see the eternal torments of the damned [Summa Theologiae, Question 94]. But I really wouldn鈥檛 take Aquinas鈥檚 word on this.听

We鈥檙e meant to have been told that 鈥淕od is love鈥� (1 John 4:8). Does it sound like love, to sentence someone to an eternity of torment? Or to insist (as Aquinas did) that perfect bliss requires looking鈥攚ith pitiless, clear eyes鈥攗pon this absolute suffering? No: neither like love; nor like bliss.

Well, perhaps the 鈥淕od is love鈥� part is wrong? But then, why worship God? Fear of punishment is no reason to worship; at best, it鈥檚 a reason to cower, and to pretend to worship. If God is really to be worthy of worship, we need to stick with 鈥淕od is love鈥�. And that means rejecting the whole idea of eternal punishment.

Ok, so let鈥檚 get back to the Devil. Even if he isn鈥檛 going to be punished for all eternity for his crimes:

鈥� Is there a Devil, whose lies are the source of our temptation? 鈥�

I doubt it. Bluntly: what's the point of positing such a Devil? Humans don鈥檛 need to be led astray by some supernatural person. As soon as we are capable of thinking about how our actions will affect others and ourselves, we are perfectly capable of leading ourselves astray.

(In the TV show Lucifer, the main character, Lucifer Morningstar, is frequently frustrated by how often humans blame him for leading them astray. I sympathise. But while we鈥檙e on the topic of guidance, I鈥檇 add that we also don鈥檛 need to be led to righteousness by some supernatural person. Once we can weigh up our actions, we're capable of steering ourselves aright.)

Well, let鈥檚 try another question. There鈥檚 a theological view, that all good is done in God鈥檚 name (whether God is invoked explicitly or not). There鈥檚 a flip-side of that view, that all evil is done in the Devil鈥檚 name. So we might ask:

鈥� Is there a Devil, in whose name all evil is done? 鈥�

My answer here is a bit like my answer to the previous question: I don鈥檛 see the point of positing such a Devil.听

But in fact, I want to say more than this. It鈥檚 not just that it鈥檚 pointless to posit such a Devil; it鈥檚 a deep (ethical) mistake, to think that our actions have to 鈥済o on a detour鈥�, via God or the Devil, in order for them to count as good or bad. They are good or bad, just because of their effects on us, here, on Earth. The existence (and strength) of our ethical bonds does not depend upon anything other than us; for we are valuable in ourselves and are immediately related to each other.

This, indeed, is part of what it would be, for humans to be made in 鈥淕od鈥檚 image鈥�. So I don鈥檛 think this last claim is much affected by whether you believe in God or not. I think atheists, monotheists, henotheists, polytheists, etc, should all agree on this point. As William James put it, in 鈥淭he Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life":聽

Whether a God exist, or whether no God exist, in yon blue heaven above us bent, we form at any rate an ethical republic here below. And the first reflection which this leads to is that ethics have as genuine and real a foothold in a universe where the highest consciousness is human as in a universe where there is a God as well.听

But now I鈥檓 out of questions to ask. I鈥檝e found no role for a devil to play. So I have to say: No one is the Devil.听