Evil

Do you believe that there are EVIL forces.
That humans are not entirerly responsible for all acts
of human evil.
That we are tempted,led,possessed in many cases by
external beings, spirits, demons with evil intent.

 

Evil is a label used by a being, based on their interpretation of what they see.

Humans, in my opinion, are only evil if they see themselves as or are seen by others as evil. And the same is true for good.

 

I agree with Hikaru Zero. Plus, the idea of pure good and pure evil doesn't make sense.

 

What's wrong with setting moral absolutes for the sake of this argument?

 

no

 

\

 

That doesn't make sense at all. So if someone thinks im evil that means im gonna break into a house and murder a family? No, I dont think so.

I think the choices you make through life make you good or evil, and people can influence those choices by either peer pressure or by giving you a reward for your deeds. Also, as children, we base our lives on what we see around us. Take for example gangs, that is peer pressure and environmental influence.

Also, i think Jinn (where we get the term "Genie" from) can influence our thoughts. Think of them as the angel and devil on the shoulders acting as your conscience.

 

I think his point was that morality is Relative. Not that someone thinking that you are evil actually changes your behavior, at least not directly.

Who is this Jinn character with such powers of persuasion?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinn

very interesting stuff

 

Mr MiGu

Congratulations, you win the cigar.

Occam

 

yea evil exists, its relative though. How can you explain that dude that killed his whole family because he said they would be better off dead in heaven than living on this miserable earth...lol.

Is that guy evil? Come on he sounds like a nice guy doing a good thing for his family you know. So what he strangled them and beat his unborn kid to death with a bat. Hes a good guy! Stealing to eat is another example is that evil. Killing intruders? What about giving away your car to a theif. Or just giving your wallet to the bully so he won't kick your ass? Would those be define as good?
Or empyting 200$ on some bum thats gonna buy coke and a hooker with it, is that good?

 

I don't believe in evil forces or beings.

Evil, to me, is a quality that humans judge each other by and is highly variable. I think it's interesting that alot of what is referred to as evil, when applied to a non-human animal, simply just becomes 'natural' actions.

 

evil is a word people invented to coerce each other. bennifit and harm exist. gratification and suffering exist. certainly there is harm and the causing of harm.

no nontangable being or force has ever inflicted as much suffering and harm on human awairnessess, individualy or collectively, then we collectively inflict upon our selves. and more of that through ignorance and thoughtlessness, then ever by premeditated intent.

people intend some pretty dumb things some times, that pretty obviously lead invariably to harm and suffering, but still more often through thoughtlessness then all the prepetrators who ever set out to do so deliberately.

you'll not i'm not saying there can't be nontangable perpitrators, i'm not will to claim anything incapable of existing, but stories about them, are parables and warnings, primarily to ourselves, of precisely the increased likelyhood of causing suffering and harm that comes from thoughtlessness, from not taking seriously the responsibility to 'do your thinking'.

=^^=
.../\...

 

Sorry
but Mr MiGu won the cigar
He answered the question without justifying his reply by trying to
define evil with sophistry.
We all know what evil is. Let us not try to 'allow' it trough relativism.
Like some idiot saying clitorectamy of young girls is morally justified because the culture they exist in says it is.
Culture has no 'legal control' over indiviual rights to a persons body.
Nor does religion.

The core of rational morality is inherent rights.
In such, we ARE all born absolutely equal.
Democratic states try to base their penal systems on this..that to take/violate anothers inherent rights is a crime.
But they fail due to a method called a thousand cuts. [lawyer inflicted]
Religious/totalitarian states simply kill/imprison anyone who defies the state promoted line.
[ie china..kill a adult and be executed. Kill a newborn girl child and a blind eye is turned]
tyrany

A constitution needs to be writen
Not one for countries. but for individual human beings
And then taught as the first/prime concept in education
To ALL human beings without exception.

We stupid humans NEED a '3 laws'

1. A human being may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm

well thats one... occam leaves it to those with more smarts to elaborate on. Cause he spent 30 minutes on a '2' and nearly burnt out his brain...
WOW overclocking is cool if u have a water cooling.


Occam

 

every self awaire being has a vested self intrest in the avoidance of causing suffering because the more suffering there is the more likely they are themselves to suffer from it.

but i don't believe this requires us to go arround saying "this is evil" or "that isn't".
and it certainly doesn't make scapegoating nontangable forces make any kind of sense.

bennifit and harm can be objectively observed. nontangable forces, by deffinition, when they can at all, can only be observed by their effects. those nontangable forces that can objectively be observed by their effects are not such as would require a conscious will.

nontangable pressences can sometimes be felt. i've felt them, and i've never felt them to radiate or intend harm or ill will.

=^^=
.../\...

 

There is no such thing as "evil".. there are only behaviors and thoughts which have been labeled negatively for the "betterment" of a community.

 

WW

So the behaviour called 'destroying another human for gratuitous personal reasons'
Has nothing to do with the individual who is destroyed?
It's all about 'the community'? And what is better or worse for it?

This might apply if we were a hive species.
WE are not. WE, are INDIVIDUALS and a RACE.

If you were tied to a chair while your 4 year old daughter was sodomised then cut
into pieces.. because the one doing it 'felt great pleasure in the act'

Occam is quite certain you would not say to yourself.. "He brings little betterment to the community"

Occam

PS..'evil' thoughts mean nothing. They are as common as raindrops.
Evil acts are the issue.
No victimless act is evil by the way. Or consenting act between two or more individuals concerning only themselves.

For example..georgetown...10 [or 1000] adults can do themselves in and that is not evil.
But the children that were lied to and coerced and ordered to join in...
Made the entire adult group action.. an act of evil.

 

1. A human may not harm a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2. A human must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3. A human must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

 

This is a good point, but because it illuminates the difference between aggresive behavior and "evil". The word is just a word, but I believe that there is a force specific to more intelligent beings which can gain great pleasure from the destruction of others. A lion does not kill to make an animal suffer, some people do. The can thrive off of it like a drug. You can call it by another name, but I think the term evil suits it very well. Just as I believe there are many, many benevolent people who thrive off of doing good to others and the world as a whole.

 

But I think we're getting off track here. These are a set of rules. We need rules and laws so we can live peacfully with eachother in a comunity setting. But I don't believe these rules really have anything to do with being "evil".

Lets take this example right here. You think this guy is evil right? But I think everyone is looking at the wrong persepctive. Yes from the parent that would be a horrifying view and in now way is that person right in doing such things. But is he evil? I think not.

Look through the killers perspective. Why did he do such things? Why does he take pleasure in doing such acts? Surely no one is naturally that way. In most cases this person was severily abused or has something mentaly wrong with them (also perhaps from abuse). So if someone has a mental problem do we automatically dub them evil? If someone was abused as a child and so broken on the inside all they know is pain and suffering that they inflict that same pain onto others doesn that mean he is condemed to be evil?

I'm not saying what he's doing is right. It's not. But the person himself is not evil. Maybe what he is doing can be called evil but never the person commiting the act. The world is not so Black and White.