polksalet Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 I do not mean give an example of something which is evil. I mean what is your standard of something being evil. Is it rooted in the bible, Hegel, postmodern philosophy, or perhaps it is like porn, you know it when you see it. Discuss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Can probably classify it a couple of ways which are very different from each other... Natural evil - just sad circumstances, such as a young child dying in a tornado. Moral evil - deliberate conscious thoughts/actions (or lack thereof when necessary) which directly results in a deviation from the good or sacred. So in a sense it cannot be defined without the standard of a good to compare it to. Obviously there is a lot more to it than that... but that's my quick and incomplete version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chappy Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 When I think of evil I think of something that happens that is never for a good reason and only meant to hurt, be cruel, etc. For instance, some might think of lying, stealing, cheating and something as severe as killing someone else as being evil. However, I can think of circumstances where each of those could be warranted. One thing that I can think of right off the top of my head that is pure evil is rape. Thinking of others... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajncajn Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 This may be a little more than you're asking, but it's my general philosophy on good & evil and the way things (in my mind) work in the universe...and if you believe, what makes the difference in who goes to Heaven & who goes to Hell. You know it when you see it. I feel that everyone inherently knows the difference between right & wrong. When you choose to do the wrong thing it is evil. Very simplistic I know and most would say there are gray areas and levels of good & bad, but I can only tell you how I feel. Evil get the best of all of us at times. I think how you deal with you wrong-doings and impurities as it seems is how you're judged in the afterlife, if you believe in such a thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 hmmm, polk put forth a thought provoking question...interesting. I do not think simply doing wrong is evil. I know it is wrong to speed but I still do it on occasion. I don't see that as evil. I guess for me there has to be a malicious or malevolent intent, or the knowledge that by your actions, great harm/hurt will befall others. Those are my initial thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeeman Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Al Gore. Not sure why though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chappy Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 hmmm, polk put forth a thought provoking question...interesting. I do not think simply doing wrong is evil. I know it is wrong to speed but I still do it on occasion. I don't see that as evil. I guess for me there has to be a malicious or malevolent intent, or the knowledge that by your actions, great harm/hurt will befall others. Those are my initial thoughts. That goes right along with what I've said. There are things/rules out there that if we broke would be considered wrong/evil. However, there are many occasions where if we broke the rules we'd be doing good. Take your speeding example for instance. Normally speeding is bad, however if you were speeding to bring a person who was just in a terrible accident to the hospital to get help that could never be considered a bad thing, rather as being heroic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Can probably classify it a couple of ways which are very different from each other... Natural evil - just sad circumstances, such as a young child dying in a tornado. Moral evil - deliberate conscious thoughts/actions (or lack thereof when necessary) which directly results in a deviation from the good or sacred. So in a sense it cannot be defined without the standard of a good to compare it to. Obviously there is a lot more to it than that... but that's my quick and incomplete version. i would say that's a pretty good summation of where i stand...except i'm not sure about the "requiring a standard of good" part. i think you could define "moral evil" simply by malicious intent, which doesn't necessarily require you to define "good" first. in other words, i think it would be reasonable to say, "intentionally harming others is evil, regardless of how you define good." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheShiznit Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 This is very simple. Good is a deed done that is done for the betterment of mankind or a particular community. Evil is a deed done that is done which maligns mankind or has a negative effect on a particular community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 i would say that's a pretty good summation of where i stand...except i'm not sure about the "requiring a standard of good" part. i think you could define "moral evil" simply by malicious intent, which doesn't necessarily require you to define "good" first. in other words, i think it would be reasonable to say, "intentionally harming others is evil, regardless of how you define good." My point is just that even "intentionally harming" someone can be hard to define... so if being healthy and happy is the good, then harming someone's health or happiness could be said to be a deviation from that good. I think we're pretty much saying the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chappy Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 (edited) i would say that's a pretty good summation of where i stand...except i'm not sure about the "requiring a standard of good" part. i think you could define "moral evil" simply by malicious intent, which doesn't necessarily require you to define "good" first. in other words, i think it would be reasonable to say, "intentionally harming others is evil, regardless of how you define good." My point is just that even "intentionally harming" someone can be hard to define... so if being healthy and happy is the good, then harming someone's health or happiness could be said to be a deviation from that good. I think we're pretty much saying the same thing. What if a situation arose in which you intentionally harmed/killed someone only because they were trying to kill you (because that would've made them happy) therefore doing it out of self-defense? That certainly couldn't be considered evil, but would deviate from being good. Edited March 12, 2008 by Chappy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yo mama Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 What if a situation arose in which you intentionally harmed/killed someone only because they were trying to kill you (because that would've made them happy) therefore doing it out of self-defense? That certainly couldn't be considered evil, but would deviate from being good. Probably not evil... unless you thereafter assumed a new identity to hide from your past actions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Evil = knowingly doing something selfish , hurtful towards others or yourself , for your own personal motives or gain , with the full disregard to what is good , morally correct and what is right For me personally , as a Christian , and as i have said a few times in various threads , it is not only the action but the motive behind the action that helps constitute if something is evil , sinfulor wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chappy Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 (edited) Probably not evil... unless you thereafter assumed a new identity to hide from your past actions. If it truly is self defense, assuming a new identity wouldn't be necessary. Evil = knowingly doing something selfish , hurtful towards others or yourself , for your own personal motives or gain , with the full disregard to what is good , morally correct and what is right For me personally , as a Christian , and as i have said a few times in various threads , it is not only the action but the motive behind the action that helps constitute if something is evil , sinful or wrong Excellent point. Edited March 13, 2008 by Chappy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yo mama Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 (edited) If it truly is self defense, assuming a new identity wouldn't be necessary. I agree. That'd be the act of a coward with a guilty conscience looking to pretend the past never happened. Acts of true self defense don't need to be hidden from scrutiny. Edited March 13, 2008 by yo mama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 A matter of perspective? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chappy Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 (edited) I disagree. That'd be the act of a coward with a guilty conscience looking to pretend the past never happened. Acts of true self defense don't need to be hidden from scrutiny. Completely agree, that's why I said assuming a new identity isn't necessary. Even if the person committing the crime isn't in the right they shouldn't assume a new identity and face the music as is. Clubfoot just added a solid point perspective also plays a large role. Edited March 13, 2008 by Chappy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 A matter of perspective? wurd what is evil to sum is not evil to others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheShiznit Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 wurd what is evil to sum is not evil to others Oh boy! And now the door to relativism just got pushed wide the frick open. Let me ask another question of you yukon......is there such thing as truth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 wurd what is evil to sum is not evil to others completely disagree by your assessment if one person feels that taking a gun and shooting innocent people is not evil , then he / she can go ahead and do it evil is evil by its definition ...people can choose to ignore good and do evil but that does not make it acceptable or change the fact that it is evil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 completely disagree by your assessment if one person feels that taking a gun and shooting innocent people is not evil , then he / she can go ahead and do it evil is evil by its definition ...people can choose to ignore good and do evil but that does not make it acceptable or change the fact that it is evil bad example but for the simple people it works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Oh boy! And now the door to relativism just got pushed wide the frick open. Let me ask another question of you yukon......is there such thing as truth? depends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheShiznit Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 depends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerry.harris Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 As a Christian, my definition of evil would be anything that is not pleasing to God. Any thing that would seperate yourself from your relationship with God is evil, such as greed for material things, lust, selfishness, or unwillingness to do God's will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffraff Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 A matter of perspective? Yup One man's villain is another man's hero. And vice versa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.