I think this may be a little controversial, but I believe that no-one is evil, unless they do what they do without a purpose. I base these on these theories on the Marvel Comics universe, because it has pretty much every alignment and cause in the world. Take Apocolypse and Magneto. They both strive for a purpose, and they have followers. They themselves believe what they are doing is right. They justify their actions, and things like that. They kill people. Do you consider that evil? To answer that question, make up a person inside yourself. make the with no opinions, no predjudices, and no loves or hates. Now ask them the question. This is really hard to explain, but I’m doing my best. If you say you hate all killing, and would never kill anything, think of all those flys and bugs you squashed, even if they were accidental. You cannot live a clean life. This will hopefully make sense. If it doesn’t, post, and I’ll try and explain it better. That doesn’t mean don’t post if you do understand it.
Osama bin Laden and his followers, al-Qaeda, certainly have a purpose in all they are doing: destroy the great Satan, the USA. They are not evil in your theory?
I differenciat between killing and murder.
One man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter. That said, I’m no moral relativist.
I do not actually believe they are evil. They do not believe they are evil. If they did, then I’d probably think they were evil. As I said, one that serves no purpose can then be considered evil.
But one may always find a purpose. If he serves no purpose I would venture to guess it is his purpose to serve no purpose.
Mentally handicapped people would In your theory perhaps be evil then?
Your theory reminds me so much of Hitlers.
With moral relatavism anything is acceptable based upon how someone feels. If your proffessor feels like giving you an F for an A paper theres absolutly nothing wrong with that because there is no such thing as right and wrong period.
Jack believes 2+2= 3
Fred believes 2+2= 4
Both have followers who fervently believe their master’s conviction.
Thye believe that they are doing teh right thing by following either Fred or Jack.
Jack’s followers take their belief to an extreme. They start to kill Fred’s followers because they take exception to their beliefs.
But wait. Fred’s followers are right. 2+2 does equal 4. Their purpose is merely to adhere to this.
On the other hand, Jack’s followers are wrong. Furthermore, they (acting in ignorance) take purposeful, combative action against Fred’s.
Jack’s follwers are evil not because they follow a false doctrine.
Thye are evil because they use their misinformed doctrine to justify stamping out truth (albeit unknowingly).
Knowing who is right and wrong is very difficult when questions are more complicated than 2+2.
Knowing, therefore, who or what is evil in complicated situation is thus very hard.
Jack’s followers are not evil because of their beliefs…but because of the purposes they adopt.
Beliefs on their own, I contend, are not evil. Following false beliefs to perpetrate the destruction of true ones is.
If we take a closer look at our first years of life we can’t find any evil.
We could make the conclusion: we were not born with evilness
So what is the source of evilness and what turn a man evil?
To relate to this question we have to make some fundamental thoughts:
- If we weren’t born with evil = nobody is evil
- the combination of two good men can never end with evilness or evilness becomes the product of the relationship.
- So if everyone is born without any evil or something that can produce evil (e.g. anger, jealousy) the humand is without evil.
- So we must take the conclusion that the source of evil is outside the humanbody.
In Islam we have the Satan (the devil) who whispers evil idea’s in someone mind.
I don’t try to indoctrinate the teaching of Islam but I use the devil as a symbol of the source of evil.
I believe that everyone is born clean and full with goodness. The devil whispers in your mind evil thoughts. The combination of such thoughts and free will can end in evil doings and eventually make you an evildoer.
metaphor:
A kid get sexual idea’s from pornographic magazines as result he will try those sexual idea’s on his wife or girlfriend (if he has the courage because courage is a factor too)
Now the devil give someone evil idea’s which weren’t known by this guy and eventually (by combining many social factors) he will commit evil.
So evil does exist only we’re not born with it.
This Devil whispiring thoughts into your head sounds simply like desire.
Note also if we had absolutes about good and evil and then were we to be born with an inclination towards good only, we would have no freewill.
I believe man is born with an inclination for good and for evil, this being the only way man may have freewill.
Can you prove this? Ever seen a baby who is 50% evil and 50% good?
No, but I’ve seen 100% evil babies. Scary little creatures…
I think that Jacks followers may be doing wrong, but that doesn’t mean they are evil. They just have very strong beliefs.
If something is wrong, that does not make it evil.
Unless Jacks followers are taught that 2+2=4 and they refuse the truth. Evil must be synonymous with “willfull intent” shouldn’t it?
And I think gavtmcc said it very well in this line:
Jacks followers may be so set in their beleifs, they think they know 2+3=4 is right, but dont want to be turned. they may be stubborn, or some thing like that. (I’m fighting a losing batlle here, aren’t I?)
I think one day I will take the words good and evil out of my vocabulary and just do what i feel. Would be interesting to see where i end up.
what do you think will happen?
I don’t think anything is really good because everything i do, i mean everything will impose suffering on something. For this is the way god has set up life! If i donate all my money to the poor they will eat, and what they eat will die. What ever dies thinks “what and evil thing, I am going to die to temporally satisfy this human need” We live to destroy.
Does what we eat,including grains, think? I was not aware of this. But cool if it does.
No not that I know of but people eat more then grains and grains are alive like a plant…
Anyways
Good = Everything
Evil = Nothing
One object gains from another objects suffering there for, there is no evil!
This is such an opinion anyways so why argue this? By my definition there is no evil so there is no point in arguing it because I am right and its my opinion and you cant prove me wrong. Now while reading this your like “man this man is an idiot†which gets us no ware and renders our conversation useless because we run in circles. Evil is just something you have created to describe or damn elements or “things” that you do not like or hurt you.
true. If someone hates and/or fears you, they will label you evil. But if someone loves and/or trusts you, they will label you good. If you do the right thing, but end up with people hating you for what you did, you’ll be labeled evil anyway.
Osama bin Laden and his followers, al-Qaeda, certainly have a purpose in all they are doing: destroy the great Satan, the USA. They are not evil in your theory?
Why do you think they are evil?
Any assertion of what is to be good or evil cannot exist outside the individual. No matter how many individuals—unified or scattered—share the same belief in what determines “good” or “evil”, such conceptions ultimately come into fruition because of each individual’s choice in the matter.