I’ve written before about the evolutionary psychologist Robert Wright, who draws together ideas from history, human development, and religion in ways that I have found useful and compelling. In his most recent newsletter he reflects on the war crimes likely committed in Ukraine by Russian troops.
Wright begins by quoting Will Smith, who you might have seen in the news recently. Smith once said, “Even Hitler didn’t wake up going, ‘let me do the most evil thing I can do today.’ I think he woke up in the morning and, using a twisted, backwards logic, he set out to do what he thought was ‘good.'”
Analyses of Russia’s troop buildup and then invasion of Ukraine often circled around what Putin was thinking.
Some commentators noted that Putin had become increasingly isolated during COVID. They also pointed to things he had written, offering his own account of history in which Russia was being wronged by Ukraine and all of Europe and the US. Piecing things together, it became possible to see that in Putin’s own mind, he was doing something he thought was good.
If you prefer to think about American wars, we can look back at the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Convoluted stories were told about Saddam Hussein attempting to acquire weapons of mass destruction, or already having them. Such stories were later refuted and no such weapons were found, but in the minds of America’s leaders and most people, the case made the invasion seem like a good deed.
Then, when the infamous Abu Ghraib torture account surfaced, people were appalled. How could good American soldiers wind up torturing Iraqi prisoners? And later in the occupation, when a group of American contractors opened fire on Iraqi civilians in a city, people were once again surprised.
People Seek Goodness
The ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates (470 – 399 BC) famously said, “to know the good is to do the good.” His wisdom has resonances here if we agree that Putin and American leaders thought their wars were good. We could say that they simply didn’t know better. They didn’t “know the good.” This doesn’t justify the wars, but allows us to soften our judgment of them a little bit.
If we apply this to people in our own lives, we might find a softening of judgment about people who have hurt us too. Perhaps we accept that they were riled up about something before encountering us. Or we just reminded them of someone who had hurt them. In either case, they would have felt like their attack on us was the right thing.
Again, it doesn’t justify their actions. It just adds understanding to our side of the equation. Hopefully, that understanding allows us to better interact with those people in the future, if at all. And hopefully, that understanding allows us to let go of the feeling of taking their criticism or attacks personally.
Our Own Shadows
Beyond looking at the misdeeds of others, this insight can help us look at our own shadow side with a bit more empathy. We might think that we would never cause harm, but we see that people who cause harm think the same thing of themselves. Or they justify the harm, just as we likely would if we were the one insulting or attacking another person (or worse).
As Wright says, “I think the psychological tendencies that, in wartime, can reach such intensity as to turn someone into a monster are tendencies found in all of us. They’re part of human nature.”
Creating Good Situations
In certain circumstances, people will do bad things. Accepting this, we can seek to put ourselves (and others!) into the best possible situations. We see that bad situations, such as war, lead people to dehumanize others and potentially to commit war crimes. People in systemic poverty and places where crime is rampant are much more likely to turn to crime themselves. And people in white-collar jobs are more likely to commit crimes when oversight is lax or nonexistent.
On the other hand, many people who are extraordinarily good and upright individuals often have had lives with stable parenting, supportive peers and elders, and healthy institutions. These people are often able to turn difficult experiences into strengths and growth opportunities. They value the humanity in all others and work to uplift those around them, both friends and strangers.
From this we can see that we cannot always solely blame individuals for harmful actions. The parents of criminals often say, “but my kid was so sweet, what happened?” Indeed, in the right situation, such as in the presence of a loving parent, that person was likely very sweet.
The Americans who committed atrocities in Iraq and the Russian troops likely committing them now in Ukraine are very likely to be wonderful people – in the right situation. In the wrong one, they become terrible.
Justin Whitaker, Ph.D., holds a doctorate in Buddhist ethics from the University of London. He has given lectures, and taught Buddhist studies and Philosophy at Oxford University, the University of Hong Kong, the University of Montana, and at Antioch University’s intensive study-abroad program in India. A certified meditation teacher, he is a regular contributor to Patheos.com, and Senior Correspondent for Buddhistdoor Global. He lives in Missoula with his family.