What is "Evil" ?
Printed From: History Community ~ All Empires
Category: Scholarly Pursuits
Forum Name: Philosophy and Theology
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URL: http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13607
Printed Date: 17-May-2024 at 23:10
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Topic: What is "Evil" ?
Posted By: xi_tujue
Subject: What is "Evil" ?
Date Posted: 27-Jul-2006 at 14:50
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whats the definition of evil? who is evil?
if someone is evil will he admit that? Most people who are considderd evil by others not think there evil they do what they thinks is best for there people.
Acording to abrahmic religions the devil is evil. Why? because he hates humans and tries to get them of the "path" but if we could ask him we all would be evil we are the reason why he was bannished from hell we are the reason why he isn't favourd by God anymore.
But is there realy evil?
there are some psycopaths who do real nasty stuf but according to most countries laws pyscopaths or nutchases or mentaly not normal people can't be responsible for there actions.
so There is no good or evil only actions.
just keep in mide that this is a history forum and in history there is no good or evil only the loser and the victor
Well what is your personal view on Good & Evil or Right & Wrong?
  ------------- I rather be a nomadic barbarian than a sedentary savage |
Replies:
Posted By: erkut
Date Posted: 27-Jul-2006 at 18:47
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http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12742 - http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12742 i dont want to right same things again read from there ------------- |
Posted By: Red Russian
Date Posted: 27-Jul-2006 at 21:12
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I Would say that, Maybe there is no such thing as good and Evil per say......Just Differing points of view. ------------- 
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Posted By: Lmprs
Date Posted: 27-Jul-2006 at 21:53
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I don't believe in good or evil. ------------- |
Posted By: Genghis
Date Posted: 29-Jul-2006 at 02:55
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I heard an interesting definition of evil as "that which should not be". I'm not sure I accept it, but I thought it was thoughtprovoking nonetheless. ------------- Member of IAEA |
Posted By: xi_tujue
Date Posted: 29-Jul-2006 at 04:15
me neather only in actions.
you could be "evil" but never have done an evil deed(that doesn't make sence
 )I mean you can be a good person but the circumstances make you do something evil so whats the deal? ------------- I rather be a nomadic barbarian than a sedentary savage |
Posted By: gcle2003
Date Posted: 29-Jul-2006 at 14:56
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I don't believe in good and evil as extant entities. There are only good actions and bad actions, good people and bad people.
That's a meta-ethical point: it's valid whatever criterion you use to distinguish a good act from a bad one, or a good person from a bad one.
I need to read some more Moore
 (I really should have written read Moore again, but I couldn't resist.)
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Posted By: Scorpius
Date Posted: 29-Jul-2006 at 15:15
In order to define good or evil, or right and wrong; you need a reference point. That is the problem here. That point differs from people to people .------------- |
Posted By: rider
Date Posted: 29-Jul-2006 at 19:44
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Evil is what other persons believe you are. ------------- |
Posted By: Mosquito
Date Posted: 29-Jul-2006 at 21:35
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this is one of those notions that have no definitions when are considered separatelly without being bound to some formula, background notion or system of value which helps to define it. Just like the notion "justice" which also has no meaning... ------------- "I am a pure-blooded Polish nobleman, without a single drop of bad blood, certainly not German blood" - Friedrich Nietzsche |
Posted By: Mosquito
Date Posted: 29-Jul-2006 at 21:39
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in other words, its all about the ethic system which helps to define it ------------- "I am a pure-blooded Polish nobleman, without a single drop of bad blood, certainly not German blood" - Friedrich Nietzsche |
Posted By: Goban
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2006 at 13:13
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I believe in good and evil. Well positive and negative energies-possibly.
Have you ever been to a place where you can feel the presence of tension, despair and hatred?
This may be a psychosomatic phenomenon but this feeling, as far as I can tell, can be acquired without much knowledge of the particular area. You can just feel it... ------------- The sharpest spoon in the drawer. |
Posted By: Tobodai
Date Posted: 07-Aug-2006 at 02:36
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One mans evil is anothers good. There are no absolute definitions and to think so is nieve.
I think a healthy society must purge itself of its own government when that government becomes to corrupt, thus I technically advocate the execution of goverment members when the time coems around. This could be considered as evil , even though its the only proven effective measure against stagnation and corruption. ------------- "the people are nothing but a great beast... I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value." -Alexander Hamilton |
Posted By: arsenka
Date Posted: 16-Aug-2006 at 02:57
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Agree. It's an abstract term created by human mind and non-existing outside it. Very subjective. ------------- arsenka |
Posted By: BMC21113
Date Posted: 18-Aug-2006 at 23:16
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-I think this "abstract evil" that is being spoken of sounds good in philosophical discussion, but holds little practical value. Can you tell me that a man who rapes and murders women, children, or both just to see them suffer has not comitted an evil act?........ ------------- "To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace"-George Washington "The art of war is, in the last result, the art of keeping one's freedom of action."-Xenophon |
Posted By: Tobodai
Date Posted: 19-Aug-2006 at 00:59
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Well certainly I persoanlyl would say that is evil, but if even one person in the entire world disagrees (and probably the murderer disagrees) you cant say its universally evil because clearly it is not. I know that sounds horribly assinine and it hurts my brain even saying but its consistent with the fact that crazy people by nature of being crazy can think something evil is in fact good. ------------- "the people are nothing but a great beast... I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value." -Alexander Hamilton |
Posted By: BMC21113
Date Posted: 19-Aug-2006 at 01:18
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-There are of course those which suffer from excessive levels of psychosis, but as a rational and SANE person, I feel that we can come to a general consensus as what constitutes an evil act. Now, there is the question of whether or not an act is considered evil when they who commit the act truly believe in what they are doing (for example Hitler.....). My answer to this question is, yes, of course there is evil. Evil can not really be measured by science, but I feel that it is an obvious element in human reality. When one commits an act out of the joy that the suffering of others brings them, then this is an evil person and an evil action. Now, of course there is a large grey area here, but sane people understand that there are some things that we just SHOULD NOT do. Taking the life of another for perverted joy is not one of those things.
-I have studied the psychology of violent offenders such as serial murderers and rapists for the last 3-4 years and I am a Psychology major. When you really look deep into some of these individuals, evil is an apparent force that should not be ignored, though it can not yet be accurately studied. ------------- "To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace"-George Washington "The art of war is, in the last result, the art of keeping one's freedom of action."-Xenophon |
Posted By: Tobodai
Date Posted: 19-Aug-2006 at 01:23
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Oh I agree it should not be ignored, but I cannot accept its existence as something we can all agree on the definition on. Many things I think are evil many people would not think are the opposite is true too.
Although I persoanlly do believe in evil I avoid elaborating on it as a defense mechanism. When one has such unconventional opinions on everything as me one has to be careful about the waht is bad and good game. Obviously I think Hitler and serial murderers are evil, but I also thought Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars is a misrepresented hero so I must be carefull  ------------- "the people are nothing but a great beast... I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value." -Alexander Hamilton |
Posted By: BMC21113
Date Posted: 19-Aug-2006 at 01:31
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-I can agree with this. I believe that which I can see for myself, though I do not count out that which is not detectable either. Personally, I feel that we truly understand little of that which is around us; or rather, do not understand the true nature of our reality. This perhaps transcends so-called "good and bad"....as I truly believe that evil is a very real force in our existence. Where that evil comes from, nobody, including myself, knows this answer.......that is, they know no further than speculation........ ------------- "To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace"-George Washington "The art of war is, in the last result, the art of keeping one's freedom of action."-Xenophon |
Posted By: Tobodai
Date Posted: 19-Aug-2006 at 01:38
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Clearly there are things that cannot be defined, and clearly there are things even all of us on AE could agree are evil, but often these thigns come with silver linings, even if th elining never makes up for the event that caused it.
For example, the Holocaust was evil, but without th eeffects from it I doubt any place int he world would care about anti-semitism and Jews in many countries would still be second class.
Another example I am fond of is Pol Pot. To me he was the worst ruler of any nation or people in all of recoreded history. But his craziness and takeover weakened Cambodia enough for Vietnam to take over and turn cambodia into a vassal state. This ended up being good as not only is the Khmer Rouge gone but Cambodia has the stability it would never have on its own but the backing of the most miitarily powerful southeast asian nation. BY extension Cambodia got a (temporarily) more valuable ally by proxy in the Soviet Union than could be found in Maoist China with a far more extensive nuclear umbrella. ------------- "the people are nothing but a great beast... I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value." -Alexander Hamilton |
Posted By: BMC21113
Date Posted: 19-Aug-2006 at 01:44
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-It is a little embarassing, but I never really learned very much about Pol Pot, so I can not really say anything about this. -Yes, often the presence of evil confirms the existence of good.....as I feel that there is no good without evil. These ideas go hand in hand. Evil in action can ultimately result in an overall good. So do you propose that, if in fact good and evil truly exist, they balance themselves out in a "natural" order of things? Or rather, one has the power to cancel out the other? ------------- "To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace"-George Washington "The art of war is, in the last result, the art of keeping one's freedom of action."-Xenophon |
Posted By: Tobodai
Date Posted: 19-Aug-2006 at 02:15
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Once again it really depends on what you think is good and evil, but personally I would say yes, to have one must have the other, for one to happen will thus make the opposite happen in reaction even if unintentionally. ------------- "the people are nothing but a great beast... I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value." -Alexander Hamilton |
Posted By: BMC21113
Date Posted: 19-Aug-2006 at 02:19
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- Yes, but one evil act can also lead to more evil...that is, if we assume that there is such a thing. I think it is more how one reacts to an event that determines the true impact of the original action. ------------- "To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace"-George Washington "The art of war is, in the last result, the art of keeping one's freedom of action."-Xenophon |
Posted By: The Philosopher
Date Posted: 18-Sep-2006 at 17:58
so, you are saying that it depends on how we take the originall offense in mind that determines whether or not it is truly evil?? |
Posted By: Mosquito
Date Posted: 18-Sep-2006 at 18:05
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I say again that only ethic system can define an act as evil or good.
There is no such thing like absolute good or evil.
For example in one society such acts like canibalism, incest, ritual murder can be considered as good and in other as evil.
------------- "I am a pure-blooded Polish nobleman, without a single drop of bad blood, certainly not German blood" - Friedrich Nietzsche |
Posted By: The Philosopher
Date Posted: 18-Sep-2006 at 18:19
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honestly the only true goods are God and Lucifer
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Posted By: The Philosopher
Date Posted: 18-Sep-2006 at 18:20
| i meant to say that God is the only true good and Lucifer the only true evil |
Posted By: Mosquito
Date Posted: 18-Sep-2006 at 19:49
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I think that this is thread about philosophy, not theology.Rreligious disccusions on nature of good and evil in your religion you can make on different forum or topic. ------------- "I am a pure-blooded Polish nobleman, without a single drop of bad blood, certainly not German blood" - Friedrich Nietzsche |
Posted By: SearchAndDestroy
Date Posted: 20-Sep-2006 at 10:38
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Speaking of Religion, I find the Christian fundamentalist evil since they seem to be trying to get Christianity into politics. I believe it's wrong and unAmerican to try and make American politics of Christian bias.
But to them they are trying to save souls and make the country "morally" correct. They believe they are the absolute good and those who defy their teachings and warnings, tainted by evil. So what's good, what's evil? Like it's already been said, depends on your own values first, and the society you grew up in to get those values. ------------- "A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." E.Abbey 
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Posted By: xi_tujue
Date Posted: 20-Sep-2006 at 12:03
befor adam God and the devil had no problems (I even heard he was his favourite) But the devil got jealous of adam and disobayed God and was punished an angel who's wings got clipt so from wich perspective you're going to see this.
Accualy we are the ones who are evil according to the devil. ------------- I rather be a nomadic barbarian than a sedentary savage |
Posted By: gok_toruk
Date Posted: 20-Sep-2006 at 12:33
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'good' and 'bad' are, in my opinion, contracts man use to define his likes/dislikes, advantages/disatvantages. ------------- Sajaja bramani totari ta, raitata raitata, radu ridu raitata, rota. |
Posted By: The Philosopher
Date Posted: 22-Sep-2006 at 16:45
well acually, Lucifer wasn't jelouse of Adam, what happened is Lucifer was Gods favorite, but he became jelouse of God, feeling that is was he who should have all the power, and then he led a revolt and was kicked out from heaven by God, taking 1/3 of heavans angels with him. |
Posted By: The Philosopher
Date Posted: 22-Sep-2006 at 16:48
| well, if you think about it, the christians may be trying to make our nation "morally correct" but you cannot say that murder, rape, theft, and fraud ect.... ARE morally correct, thus, you may not have to believe in the christian perspective of God or anything to agree. |
Posted By: flyingzone
Date Posted: 22-Sep-2006 at 17:27
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Some call capital punishment murder, some don't. Some call abortion murder, some don't. Some call political assassination murder, some don't. Some call them holy warriors, some call them terrorists. Some call it the war on terrorism, some call it terrorism itself. Sometimes things are not as black and white as it seems. The only thing that is certain is uncertainty. ------------- |
Posted By: flyingzone
Date Posted: 22-Sep-2006 at 17:30
Throw in amnesia, evil twins, and some sex, you get a perfect storyline for a daytime soap there. ------------- |
Posted By: The Philosopher
Date Posted: 23-Sep-2006 at 00:13
| i understand that you are an athiest flyingzone, but i am just saying what the book says, perhaps you should read it somtime, if you think i'm wrong about it. |
Posted By: flyingzone
Date Posted: 23-Sep-2006 at 14:14
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What is "the book" you are talking about? You mean the "Bible"? Philo, you know SO LITTLE about me. Many forumers here know that I was a devout Christian before I became an atheist. My father was an Anglican minister and I grew up in a Baptist church where my mom is still a leader and where I had been an active member until I started acquiring the ability to think independent. I have read the Bible from cover to back at least 5 times. Yes, even the incredibly boring books such as Numbers and Leviticus.And if you are referring to "other books", just FYI, I do read a lot. I am a college professor. How old are you anyway?
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Posted By: SearchAndDestroy
Date Posted: 23-Sep-2006 at 15:30
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I think he said he was 15 in another thread. So he has alot of time to decide what he wants to believe in life. As long as you open your mind, you will always find what feels right.
I'm still waiting for the day a god talks to me so I can become a believer.
But for now I'm stuck as a athiest. ------------- "A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." E.Abbey
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Posted By: The Philosopher
Date Posted: 23-Sep-2006 at 17:36
yes i am 15, but flyingzone, that just means that i have learned somthing today right?? 
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Posted By: flyingzone
Date Posted: 23-Sep-2006 at 19:36
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If there is something to learn from this conversation, it's not really who I am that is important at all. How about not calling the Christian bible "the book"? Philo, you have to understand that you are living in an exceptionally "religious" country that is quite unlike most other countries in the world. Depending on where you are, "the book" may mean the Koran, or "Das Kapital", or "The Interpretation of Dreams", or "Sun Tzu's Military Strategy". ------------- |
Posted By: The Philosopher
Date Posted: 23-Sep-2006 at 22:29
| yes you are correct, but since i was talking about christian belief, i wasn't thinking about actually naming the bible. sorry |
Posted By: Omar al Hashim
Date Posted: 23-Sep-2006 at 22:35
Your arguing cross religions there if your not aware. In Islam the satan was not jealous of God, and how you lead a revolt against an omnipotent being I don't know. While I have read parts of 'the book' I wonder if you've read any of 'the mother of all books'? I would be interested if your story is justifiable in Christianity or not, how do you support that belief? --btw flyingzone, calling the bible 'the book' although ambigous and annoying, isn't actually incorrect. Since bible is just a bastardisation of the greek biblyos (or something like that) which strictly means book. Good and Evil, (I prefer Good and Bad) are constructs of society and religion. Outside of either of these they don't have any meaning, but inside them they do. I take Good, to be what God has told us to do, and Bad to be defined as what not to do. There is of course a huge gap inbetween which is niether Good nor Bad. They are effectively just terms to describe actions. Some people after deciding that there isn't anything as Good or Bad then use that as a justification of a sort to do whatever they want to and not follow thier ancestors ideas of good and bad. This I think is missing the point, just because Good and Bad are concepts and not physical manifestations, it doesn't mean that there isn't a very good reason why people called them 'Good' or 'Bad'. ------------- |
Posted By: The Philosopher
Date Posted: 23-Sep-2006 at 23:23
well, how am i crossing two religions?? also, God also gave the angels free will, even knowing that Lucifer would indeed lead a revolt against him, if God were to act upon that knowledge before hand, that would just as well be a form of pre-destination. |
Posted By: The Philosopher
Date Posted: 23-Sep-2006 at 23:26
| also, what are you refering to when you say "the mother of all books"?? |
Posted By: Omar al Hashim
Date Posted: 23-Sep-2006 at 23:33
Xi was talking about Islam, you corrected him by talking about christianity. Hence cross religions. Arguing about things like that cross religion is pretty much pointless, however I believe it may be possible to argue the muslim point of view from the bibe? Do you know the basic differences between Islam and Christianity? 'the mother of all books' is the Quran. ------------- |
Posted By: The Philosopher
Date Posted: 23-Sep-2006 at 23:40
| ok, i didn't realize that he was talking about islam, and i don't believe that you can argue one religeon from another religeons book. |
Posted By: Omar al Hashim
Date Posted: 23-Sep-2006 at 23:45
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I mean that the Lucifer story you told us is not correct for all
versions of christanity, and I think that it may be possible to argue a
different story from the bible. But I'm not sure about that, which is
why I asked you to justify your story. Can you prove to me that the story you said above is correct for christianity? PS: Actually you'd be surprised how many popular versions of a common legend come from the other religions book. For example the Noahs ark story, I've picked up muslim books and read the christian story (which doesn't contradict the Quranic story, but adds details that are unsubstatianed) and nowadays, many christian groups are adopting the Quranic version as a correct interpretation to the biblical one (as that doesn't quite gell with reality - or even itself) ------------- |
Posted By: gok_toruk
Date Posted: 24-Sep-2006 at 04:56
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Not to change the topic, but if 'good' and 'bad' are just concepts in religions like Islam or Christianity, so what are 'paradise' and 'hell' for?
If they're just in our minds and not in the practice, so why do we deserve 'paradise' or 'hell' while we really haven't accomplished anything? ------------- Sajaja bramani totari ta, raitata raitata, radu ridu raitata, rota. |
Posted By: JanusRook
Date Posted: 24-Sep-2006 at 06:42
As a mild theocrat I don't see how religion being in politics is evil as long as the religion promotes peace and intelligent thought. However my own feelings on fundamentalists....I'm inclined to agree with you.
Even as a theocrat, I also agree that putting religion in American politics is un-American, putting morals and traditional values however is not.
On the topic of good and evil:
Evil only exists as a result of man's distance from the divine plan of the creator. Only when one is in accordance with the natural order can one be freed from evil. However we are born into the world with an inclination towards evil and sin. This is a mystery known only to the creator and until we reach a stage in our development when the divine plan is revealed we cannot hope to understand it. This isn't to say that men are created evil, we are all born good because everything that is created by God is good and can only be made evil by acts of free will that go contrary to the divine order.
So basically everything is good. We screw up and make things evil because of our distance from God. Only through grace can we hope to eliminate evil.
Also to those that had questions about the fall here is it from the roman catechism (paraphrased by me):
The angels were themselves created good as well as the demons. However in the timeless era before creation the angels had to make a choice for themselves whether they would follow God or reject him as their lord. The ones that "rebelled" merely rejected God, they never staged a battle in heaven. The reason that they remain in hell is not because God is unwilling to forgive them but because they are unwilling to be forgiven. (The utter rejection of God is also in my belief the only thing that one can truly go to hell for, everyone else just enters the state of purgatory.)
Also as an aside, I remember a few years ago reading a book I believe called the mythology of christianity or something like that. It was written by a british atheist in the first half of the twentieth century who after studying catholic theology and tradition, came up with some very logical and sound (to me at least) observations on the fall.
According to this book, the devils merely rejected God, but seeing as how God is everywhere they couldn't escape his light, so they had to go the one place where his light did not penetrate as deeply, inside themselves. This gave me an image of hell that is very different than the traditional view. One where there's an infinite plane of light (kind of like the prison in THX 1139) and the only thing on this plane are giant statues (which are the outer shell of the demons).
It isn't a matter of whether we deserve paradise. Just like it doesn't matter if a child deserves gifts, a parent will still give him gifts if they see fit. It's just like this with God, no matter how much we accomplish in this world we are all destined to return to him. Paradise isn't so much a reward but a destination we all must be prepared to reach.
Again, this is in christian tradition, I believe though it can be compatible with most other religions.
(Edited by Flyingzone to increase the size of writing.) ------------- Economic Communist, Political Progressive, Social Conservative. Unless otherwise noted source is wiki. |
Posted By: gok_toruk
Date Posted: 24-Sep-2006 at 12:42
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In Islamic thoughts also, all people return to God; but not necessarily paradise. If you're good, that's paradise and if not, hell. I mean, when we lie, don't we really accomplish something? Or is it just in our mind? I don't think so. You DO something and you see the results. Or are we punished because of our thoughts only? ------------- Sajaja bramani totari ta, raitata raitata, radu ridu raitata, rota. |
Posted By: The Philosopher
Date Posted: 24-Sep-2006 at 21:44
ok, heres where the story is Isaiah 14:11-20 11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread our beneath you and worms cover you.12 How you have fallen from heaven O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven, I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." 15 But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit. 16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate; "Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble,17 the man who made the world a desert, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?" 18 All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb.19 But you are cast our of your tomb, like a rejected branch; you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit, Lik a corpse trampled underfoot, 20 you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land, and killed your people. |
Posted By: The Philosopher
Date Posted: 24-Sep-2006 at 21:51
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that is the Thompson chain reference bible
NIV. but, although it doesn't say the name Lucifer in there, it talks about the son of the dawn. and Lucifer was the angel of light, thus the son of the dawn. and also, in the original Hebrew this is true. |
Posted By: The Philosopher
Date Posted: 24-Sep-2006 at 21:55
| and about the noah's ark story, almost all religions in the world have a story about a massive flood. so i've read and heard |
Posted By: vulkan02
Date Posted: 11-Oct-2006 at 07:53
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When you know that you are about to act on something deemed unjust and you have all the means to but you hold back your will to, then that is evil. ------------- The beginning of a revolution is in reality the end of a belief - Le Bon Destroy first and construction will look after itself - Mao |
Posted By: Batu
Date Posted: 18-Dec-2006 at 11:07
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you cant say for yourself that you are evil or good.other people should decide for you! ------------- A wizard is never late,nor he is early he arrives exactly when he means to :) ( Gandalf the White in the Third Age of History Empire Of Istari ) |
Posted By: pekau
Date Posted: 01-Jan-2007 at 23:00
A great story to explain what evil is. I personally memorized it myself 
Warning, copied texts that don't belong to pekau. (Though I wish it was my work...) I will reference it if someone wants it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Does evil exist? The university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists? A student bravely replied, "Yes, he did!" "God created everything? The professor asked. "Yes sir", the student replied. The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil". The student became quiet before such an answer. The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth. Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question professor?" "Of course", replied the professor. The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?" "What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The students snickered at the young man's question. The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat." The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?" The professor responded, "Of course it does." The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present." Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?" Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil." To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light." The professor sat down. The young man's name — Albert Einstein. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- http://swagbucks.com/refer/Malachi"> 
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Posted By: Paul
Date Posted: 01-Jan-2007 at 23:36
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Does evil exist? ------------- Light blue touch paper and stand well back http://www.maquahuitl.co.uk - http://www.maquahuitl.co.uk http://www.toltecitztli.co.uk - http://www.toltecitztli.co.uk |
Posted By: pekau
Date Posted: 03-Jan-2007 at 02:36
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Ha, good one Paul. There are many theories that said Einstein was not the the protagonist, so you may still have the chance ------------- http://swagbucks.com/refer/Malachi">
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 14-Feb-2007 at 11:46
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There is no good and evil. There is your conscience and people would say this is where good and evil are defined as what is good and what is wrong in terms of others. I would disagree with this as like ethics and morals, what is good and what is bad are personal things. By deduction then there is no one thing as good and evil and our actions should not be defined on these lines, instead we should act by what we feel is right in ourselves with regards to the outcomes of our actions but not as to how they effect others buit rather how they effect our ability to live as well as we can. This does not mean that because there is no good and evil people are free to harm what they like merely it means that there can be no such thing as universal evil or universal good. ------------- |
Posted By: pekau
Date Posted: 14-Feb-2007 at 15:08
According to your theory, then I have every right to kill, rob and enslave anyone I please. I am unsure how you could justify such actions. ------------- http://swagbucks.com/refer/Malachi">
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 14-Feb-2007 at 17:36
I know I say this with almost 99.9% certainty of correctness...This never happened!
A great analogy for all those struggling with beliefs is to consider the analogy of the tea-pot orbiting mars. There is no way of proving that there isn't a tea-pot orbiting Mars but the chances are so slim there is no point in believing there is one. What this has to do with good and evil is a bit hard to see but basically it comes down to the morals of certain religions specificly Christianity...Blessed are the meek, they shall inherit the world...not a wise decision...besides why the meek, not necessarily the migty but why not give it to the mediocre...that sounds better...blessed are the mediocre for they shall inherit the world! ------------- |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 14-Feb-2007 at 17:40
And I am unsure how you can justify your response if you have fully read my message...Read the last line again! Also, if you had read past the first line you wpould have seen how I said that by doing what you suppose I hold to be things ethically acceptable, we prevent our own personal advancement which is at the basisi of the ethical argument I outlined.
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Posted By: Brian J Checco
Date Posted: 25-Feb-2007 at 17:24
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It still a case of subjectivity, dandeb. Your argument is flawed based
on the value-judgment systems unique in every human brain. Also, by
quantifying, say, killing, as evil, you have already interjected your
own unique value-judgment on what can very easily be considered (from a
subjective standpoint) a neutral, or even a good, act. Or, to beg the
question even further... you point out that we have the moral right to
do what we deem appropriate if it will improve our lives. Then, is
killing someone (for my own benefit) a just action? Let's say the
person is doing something that I (based on my own unique value-judgment determinism) would deem wrong, like rape for instance (which his own unique value-judgment system has deemed morally acceptable, and will enable to further improve his own life), and I kill him. Is that wrong? In order to answer any question about ethics, to me it seems apparent that you need to acknowledge the presence of some of underlying moral objectivity; otherwise, any argument one way or the other is subjectivists, and inherently full of contradictions. By 'acknowledging and underlying moral objectivity,' I mean God (or some permutation of Gods and Goddesses, or even just the scientific building blocks of the universe, which themselves adhere to things we call 'natural laws.'). Unfortunately, I'm not sure such a thing exists, or ever existed, but it would sure make this argument a hell of a lot more 'over.' Cheers. |
Posted By: pekau
Date Posted: 25-Feb-2007 at 22:39
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Agreed. There is definitely the difference between good and evil. ------------- http://swagbucks.com/refer/Malachi">
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