No Adam, I’d rather think for myself about what is good and evil,’ thought Eve as she plucked the apple. She showed courage when she did that—moral courage.
The Forbidden Fruit
Who doesn’t know the story? The story of Adam and Eve in paradise. It must have been so boring there, after all, everything was perfect. I assume the two lived there carelessly and were bored to death. To spice things up a bit, God planted an apple tree in the Garden of Eden. This apple tree wasn’t just any tree; it was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told them, “You may eat freely from any tree in the garden, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat, for on the day you eat from it, you will surely die.”
Of course, they did it anyway. Even a child would understand that. It was Eve who was tempted by the serpent, a creature more cunning than any other wild animal the Lord God had made. The serpent told Eve that she would not die at all, but that she and Adam, if they tasted the forbidden fruit, would gain the truth. “You will not die! God knows that when you eat from the tree, your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.” Eve wanted that—she wanted to see the truth. She longed to eat the apple because it would make her wise. She plucked the fruit from the tree and ate it. I would have done the same if I were her. She also gave one to Adam. The rest is history. Adam and Eve became ashamed of their nakedness.
And God Was Angry—Very Angry
And they became afraid. Rightly so, because God was angry. First, he punished the serpent. “Because you have done this, you are cursed above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly, and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will create enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel!”
Then He punished Eve. God spoke to her with these words: “I will greatly increase your pain in childbirth: with pain, you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” And with that newfound wisdom in hand—man has now become like one of us, for he knows good and evil—God banished the pair from paradise. They had to work for their living.
Moral Courage
This is a Bible passage I’ve never fully understood. I wasn’t raised with the Bible. I am a product of the secularization movement. I went to a public elementary school and later a non-religious high school. I had no contact with religious people. I only knew them from books and films. When I read this passage from the Bible later in life, I was confused and irritated. Why is the tone so dark? Where Genesis speaks of “death,” I see in this act—Eve tasting the forbidden fruit—the “birth” of humanity. The birth of humans who think for themselves, who are aware of their actions. Humans who choose to grapple with ethical questions. Those who prefer to ask themselves, “What should I do, how should I live to be a good person?” rather than dwell in a blissful state of eternal ignorance.
Isn’t that a moment we should celebrate? Because isn’t that very insight—the ability to reflect on what is good and evil—what makes us human? Eating the forbidden fruit wasn’t a sin; it was actually the right thing to do! Eve showed character when she demonstrated that she would rather think for herself about what is good and evil than leave it up to God (or a tree). I find her brave. She was willing to let go of her safe truths. She took the initiative. She didn’t uncritically depend on others for her moral convictions. She showed curiosity. She sought to explore. In short, she showed moral courage.
The Moment of Truth
The creation story contains a valuable lesson about the relationship between conscience or moral intuition and truth. Genesis is about the price you pay when you choose the truth. Gaining the truth, opening your eyes, discovering that there is another world or perspective you were previously unaware of—these are not for nothing major themes in literature. When the eyes open, something is always lost: innocence. But that shouldn’t lead us to close our eyes and prefer things to stay as they are, avoiding the search for alternative truths and listening to others.
What are we so afraid of?
There is no reason to think that curious people who seek knowledge, who are open to new ideas, will be punished by God. Yet for centuries, we’ve told ourselves stories about boundary-pushers who met tragic ends. Why? It wasn’t just Eve who was punished. Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods, and Icarus, who dared to fly, were also punished for their hubris. Dr. Frankenstein, the “new Prometheus,” who sought to overcome mortality and created his monstrous being, also faced a terrible fate. These are all examples of people, like Eve, who sought to understand the secrets of life and were punished for it. It’s time we reassess these stories.
Eve Was a Heroine, Not a Sinner!
In uncertain times—times that call for change and new insights—we need more people like Eve than like Adam. Adam, who vainly asked Eve—beautifully portrayed by Titian—not to pluck the apple, is simply a coward, a fool. The last thing we need in the 21st century is an irrational fear of God’s wrath. We need people who can and dare to think independently about fading boundaries, limits to growth, and the use of new technologies. People who can and will take responsibility—like Eve.
My proposal is to reinterpret Eve’s story. Let’s see her as a moral hero. Humanity did not die when she tasted the apple. That was the day humanity was born.
