BrainworX Academy The Justification of the Seven Deadly Sins Isabelle Piscoso Defense of Mastery Panel Ms. Sabedra, Mr. Kusy, Mrs. Johnson, Mr. Jimenez, Mr. Welsh 10 December 2018
Piscoso 1 Isabelle Piscoso Defense of Mastery Panel Defense of Mastery 10 December 2018 The Justification of the Seven Deadly Sins Findings of the Research The number seven is considered holy in Christianity. In Christian belief, God created the world in 6 days, and the 7th was a day of rest. Most importantly, in Christianity, there are Seven Heavenly Virtues. Chastity, forgiveness, kindness, charity, temperance, diligence, and humility are holy traits that are considered the purest traits a person can have. Not every group of seven is holy. To contrast the Seven Heavenly Virtues, the Bible notes the Seven Deadly Sins-- lust, wrath, envy, greed, gluttony, sloth, and pride. They are believed to be the worst traits that a person can have, and actions motivated by those traits are the worst actions that a person can perform. However, morality may not indeed be as black and white as Christian belief would suggest. In the context of human nature, the Seven Deadly Sins tend to be traits and actions that come to people more naturally, whereas the Seven Heavenly Virtues are things that people must be taught as they are growing up. While not every evil deed is admissible, the Seven Deadly Sins, as defined by the Bible, are not inherently bad, given that every act is circumstantial, and the traits described by those seven sins are seen as positive in moderation, while the corresponding Seven Heavenly Virtues are seen as negative in the extreme.
Piscoso 2 Evaluation of Sources As this report heavily leans on concepts relating to belief as opposed to concrete concepts rooted in reality, finding trustworthy sources was difficult. The most reliable source cited in this project was likely the Apocalypse of Peter text, originated in the 2nd century as one of the founding texts of Christian and Catholic belief. Finding reliable sources based on people s individual beliefs was straightforward, such as On The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, where Charles Darwin shared his theories on evolution. Analysis of films and novels inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins also served as a reliable source, as the content of the films and novels did not need to be true or credible, Content Connections The concept of morality, in general, is a concept only known to humans. In nature, animals have shown signs of empathy, although the actions they make are generally self-beneficial as opposed to selfless. Male African lions are known to be highly aggressive, especially to other lions that are not a member of their pride, or group, and researchers have observed the behavior of lions killing for sport. Along with this, when male African lions join a new pride, the general practice is to kill any other male cubs, to reduce competition. Humans generally consider killing members of one s species to be wrong, or wrathful. However, in nature, the killing of young that are not one s own is evolutionarily beneficial. Darwin s Theory of Evolution states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. In order to be biologically successful, an organism must succeed in passing down its genes to the next generation. In the case of African
Piscoso 3 lions, the killing of the other cubs ensures that the bloodline passed down in that particular pride will be their own. Thereby, while the practice of aggression is seen as sinful, the true virtue in practice lies in the evolutionary benefits it provides. Another factor in biological success is natural selection. The process of natural selection is when an organism has a trait that gives them an advantage over other members of their species, that organism is more likely to survive and reproduce, and as such, more likely to be biologically successful. However, genetic advantages are not the only advantages an organism can obtain. If an organism were to be greedier as opposed to selfless when it came to food or resources, that organism would be more likely to survive and pass on their traits. Selflessness and charity, in the extreme, is detrimental to one s self, as it involves taking advantages one has and giving it away, therefore making that person less likely to biologically, socially, or monetarily succeed. The concept of evolution, however, is a concept that has been argued and disputed over the decades. In 1859, when Charles Darwin first published his theories in On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, it was mostly ignored by the general American public. While the theory remained out of the public eye, many American religious leaders began to criticize the theory, claiming the implications were heretical. While not one of the Seven Deadly Sins, Heresy, or belief contrary to orthodox religious beliefs, is considered a large enough sin to merit its circle of Hell according to early Christian writings. Years later, in the 1920s, evolution had become one of the forefront debates in America. While the rest of the world was recovering from World War I, the United States had entered a brief period of prosperity, with the invention of the radio, and therefore, of mass media. This
Piscoso 4 invention caused a massive socio-cultural shift throughout the United States, and the generational gap between the young and the old got even more extensive. In the 1920s, due to mass media, the invention of television and celebrities, and the legalization of birth control, the young generation began to take more control of their own lives and to live different lifestyles against conventional religion. Contrarily, devoutly religious cults were formed, who took every passage of the Bible as absolute law, and believed that anything otherwise was heresy. Nonetheless, evolution, the Bible, and personal belief were at the forefront of the American people s minds, and remain as such today. The concept of the Seven Deadly Sins has been the inspiration for many different types of media, from movies and books to haunted houses and beauty products. One such piece of media is Seven, also stylized as Se7en. In Seven, two detectives investigate a serial killer who murders those whom he believes guilty of the Seven Deadly Sins. In the opening title sequence of the film, the heavy instrumental paired with the chaotic imagery and the quick, spastic cuts serve to give the film a chaotic feeling. Throughout the film, we see the religious side of the power balance portrayed as the antagonist. In John Doe(Kevin Spacey), the serial killer and primary antagonist, we see a fanatic, exaggerated, twisted version of Christianity. This singular example serves to prove that following religion is not an unequivocal good, and that virtue exists within our actions and how we treat others as opposed to what religion we choose to follow. Forgiveness is arguably one of the most prominent of the Seven Heavenly Virtues. The Bible commands, Bear with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgive each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. While the Bible contends that all acts against oneself must be forgiven, there are some heinous acts which an individual
Piscoso 5 would certainly find difficult to forgive. In Mary Shelley s Frankenstein, the titular protagonist creates a hideous creature, henceforth referred to as Frankenstein s creature, and abandons this creature as soon as he is awakened, leaving him to fend for himself with no guidance or help. Left alone and abandoned, the creature is subjected to dreadful scorn from all humans he comes in contact with, due to his heinous appearance. Eventually, this leads the creature to wreak wrathful havoc on the protagonist s loved ones, eventually ending the creature s own life through self-immolation. In this scenario, we can see a clear example of Wrath, the sinful counterpart to Forgiveness. Wrath is generally described as extreme anger. However, as Wrath is the counterpart to Forgiveness, a common and more reasonable interpretation of the term would be that Wrath is not mainly anger, but vengeance. While not every bad deed cannot be forgiven, Frankenstein s creature was forced to bear the cruel abandonment and scorn from all of humanity at no fault of his own, and when he pleaded with his creator to help him, he was harshly denied. The suffering that Frankenstein s creature unfairly endured proves to justify the Wrath and vengeance that Frankenstein s creature later committed. The Seven Deadly Sins and the concept of sin, in general, has also been a more primary focus in other forms of literature. The Divine Comedy, an epic poem by Dante Alighieri, outlines Dante s journey through different parts of the afterlife. The poem is split into three sections- Inferno, describing Hell, Purgatorio, describing Purgatory, and Paradiso, describing Heaven. The contents of the book, most specifically the descriptions of Hell, overlap heavily with the Apocalypse of Peter, a 2nd-century Christian text. In Inferno, Alighieri outlines a possible
Piscoso 6 description of Hell. This Hell has nine circles, where all sinners of all types are punished for eternity, regardless of the circumstance in which their sins were committed. In my research, and in observing the actions and behaviors of those around me, I formed a hypothesis that teenagers, or minors, were more likely to admit themselves guilty of the Seven Deadly Sins than adults were. Alternatively, the null hypothesis in this scenario would be that there is no difference between adults and minors concerning if they admit themselves guilty of the Seven Deadly Sins. In the results of a survey conducted on the Seven Deadly Sins, 59 out of 89 people self-assessed themselves as guilty of any, or all, of the Seven Deadly Sins. Of those 59, 34 were adults. Using the x² test, this data equates to an x² statistic of 5.85. Since this scenario has two degrees of freedom, using the x² probability chart, it can be determined that if the null hypothesis were correct, that this particular outcome has a probability of 0.016, or, a 1% chance of occurrence. Since this is far less than 5%, the typical standard cut off for x² scenarios; we can safely reject the null hypothesis. The evidence implies that there is a difference between adults and minors concerning if they admit themselves guilty of the Seven Deadly Sins, or not. In particular, while the ratio of guilty to not guilty was close to as expected in adults, in minors, far more admitted themselves guilty of the Seven Deadly Sins than expected. In the very same survey, 59 out of 89 participants answered that they were either Christian or Catholic. Of those who considered themselves religious, 18 of them claimed that they were not guilty of any of the Seven Deadly Sins. Out of 28 non-christians, however, only one of them proclaimed themselves not guilty of the Seven Deadly Sins. As not all values were over 5, the x² test was inapplicable. However, this data could be interpreted to suggest that
Piscoso 7 non-christians have a higher likelihood of admitting themselves guilty of the Seven Deadly Sins than Christians do. Conclusions The Bible states, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) This implies that in Christianity, all sins that are not forgiven are damnable, regardless of the circumstance they were committed to. However, there is abundant evidence to prove that the Seven Deadly Sins are not objectively bad, and further, that the Seven Heavenly Virtues are not objectively good. The Seven Deadly Sins are traits and emotions that are inherently present within human nature, where the Seven Heavenly Virtues are traits that are not inherent, but that people must be taught. In the creation of the product, a visual hanging representation of the Nine Circles of Hell, very few difficulties arose. There was a lot of time and effort involved in the creation of the product, with the amount of small detail involved, but the creation and assembly of the product went as smoothly as expected. Reflection During this Defense of Mastery, I never anticipated that my opinion or personal stance on the concept of the Seven Deadly Sins would change at all. I intended to gather the information and use them to prove the chance I had chosen, regardless of what I believed. The realizations that I came to regarding human nature and the traits we possess naturally in comparison to what we are taught had a significant impact on my personal opinion on the Seven Deadly Sins. The conclusions that I came to proved to move my personal, formerly unbiased opinion, in favor of my thesis.
Piscoso 8 I found my methods in completing the assignment more effective than the methods I have employed in the past. This topic was more interesting to me, and as such, I grew more invested in this particular project that I have been with projects in the past. My efficiency and motivation levels for this Defense of Mastery were notably higher than in the past, and as such my aspirations for this project, in particular, were far higher. Sloth and procrastination did not present an issue, as my interest in the topic kept me motivated to continue working.
Piscoso 9 Works Cited Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy. 1320. (Strong) Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species: by Means of Natural Selection. (Strong) Kirby, Peter. Early Christian Writings: New Testament, Apocrypha, Gnostics, Church Fathers. Saint Justin Martyr: Dialogue with Trypho (Roberts-Donaldson), 2001, www.earlychristianwritings.com/. (Strong) Kopelson, Arnold, et al. Se7en. A New Line Cinema Release, 1995. (Strong) Masci, David. The Social and Legal Dimensions of the Evolution Debate in the U.S. Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project, Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project, 19 Mar. 2014, www.pewforum.org/2009/02/04/the-social-and-legal-dimensions-of-the-evolution-debate -in-the-us/. (Moderate) Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, et al. Frankenstein. Oxford University Press, 2008. (Strong)