“The devil's finest wile is to convince us that he does not exist.”Charles Baudelaire · Inima mea dezgolită · 1887 · XII
Evil doesn't need to be strong, only to be denied.
Baudelaire takes a traditional idea and turns it toward modern psychology: the greatest danger is not a visible devil but the denial of evil. Whoever believes temptation does not exist lowers their guard and justifies any act. The mechanism is self-deception: evil works best when deemed impossible. A person convinced they cannot be corrupted accepts small compromises without alarm, and these accumulate. The devil here is a metaphor for moral blindness.
Why it matters Relevant to everyday ethics: the conviction that we are immune to compromise is precisely what makes us vulnerable.