How Putin Convinced the World That Evil Does Exist

It’s one of the oldest philosophical debates in history: does evil exist?

Humankind’s original word for evil, 𒉆𒅆𒌨—pronounced namhul—emerged 6,000 years ago in Sumer, one of the cradles of civilization located within the borders of modern-day Iraq. It was applied to a wicked despot: “The Sumer tablets describe an evil leader as one who oppresses orphans and widows; those who do not seek equity under the law; do nothing to prevent chaos, and murder their own people,” explains Dr. Jonathan Tenney, Cambridge University assistant professor of Assyriology and a specialist in the Sumer language. “Namhul is also an abstract for rottenness.”

Six millenia later, another rotten leader stalks the Earth.

Read more at The Daily Beast.