Final answer:
People may cooperate in others' sins through group conformity, following immoral authority, or complicity in societal norms that perpetrate harm. This behavior is often driven by perceived benefits, ignoring the moral implications and harm caused. Such cooperation is sustained until individuals recognize and accept the inherent wrongness of their actions.
Step-by-step explanation:
People may cooperate in others' sins in various ways, such as by changing their behavior to conform to a group's wrongful actions, following immoral orders from authority figures, or by being complicit in maintaining harmful societal norms. Historical examples include the compliance of individuals during the Holocaust, as well as instances where societal norms and religious groups overlooked injustices like slavery, despite understanding their inherent wrongness. This cooperation in sin becomes particularly problematic when individuals see some benefit for themselves and do not acknowledge the harm they are causing or continuing.
In literature, we often see reflections of these themes, such as in Nathaniel Hawthorne's works, where characters witness or partake in secret sinful acts yet maintain a facade of righteousness. This dual nature of humans to both commit and hide their misdeeds while engaging in societal or religious norms that implicitly support these actions can perpetuate a cycle of wrongdoing that is difficult to break unless individuals come to understand and accept the reasons why certain acts are wrong.