many good, but only one evil

Discussion in 'Philosophy and Religion' started by themnax, Dec 28, 2019.

  1. themnax

    themnax Senior Member

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    There is only one evil. And that is people, causing harm and pain and suffering, by being
    inconsiderate toward each other and toward the environment we all depend upon.

    It is not a side, it is not an entity. It is a form of behavior. And it is this form of behavior that it is.

    Hating consideration, and encouraging the hating of logic as a means to encourage the hating of consideration.


    And that is why i'm not a christian, nor a jew, nor an islamist. Why there is no goodness in wishing to be feared, and whatever gods there are, and I do believe there are things greater then ourselves, owe nothing to what people tell each other, to claim or imagine that they know, about them.

    Why no hierarchy is automagically good, and only a very few,
    that are measurably worse then another.


    Austarity, fascism, nationalism, even aggressiveness generally, these are all masks that are worn by this same one thing that evil is.



    When people say there is no evil, I believe and agree with what I see as their good intention, that there is no other thing, then this one thing, that evil is.

    It is unfortunate, that all the major religions,
    especially the loudest voices within them, that are corrupted by it.

    The potential for good that all the religious beliefs have, is there too, and i'm not wanting to take that from them, but I can't really identify myself, with the idea, that anything is infallible, no matter what it does, when it says someone, anyone, is “other”, for reasons that have nothing to do, with what the real thing is that evil is.

    Because they don't call themselves some name, or look some way. Calling someone, anyone “other” for that, is doing themselves, the very thing, that the one thing that is evil, is.


    Now I call myself other in a different way. Because strangeness is the good way that other is.

    It is what the nature of reality is. The universal wonder of strangeness.


    This is where all that is beauty and inspiring comes from. This universal wonder of strangeness,
    that is the diversity of reality, that is what reality is, that is what beauty is.


    And really there is so much more that is beauty then is harm, that it is really a great misfortune,
    to miss out on all that is good, by focusing on the so much less range of existence, that is not.
     
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  2. Love4Christ

    Love4Christ Newbie

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    That is very whimsical. In my opinion evil isn't "other," it is things that harm others like stealing from them, sexually harming them or lots of other things.
     
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  3. themnax

    themnax Senior Member

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    yes, all of these concrete things that you mention, they are based in lack of consideration and logic. they are not avoided by hating either. nor by saying belief is so strong a magic wand against them to not need logic. so there is nothing whimsical about the very most absolutely fundamental point. and that calling someone "other" because they don't call themselves the brand name of your own particular belief, that is the same mistake.
    you see the unknown being unknown does not prevent anything from existing, its not about that, but the two things that all fanaticism, by whatever name it calls itself gets wrong, one is the goodness of a hierarchy (which is ultimately a tyranny of fear), and the idea that whatever god or gods there are, owe anything to what people tell each other to pretend they know about it.
     
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  4. Total Darkness

    Total Darkness 100% Cocoa

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    Its the by-product of living in a childish society where i find it very rare to find a parent more mature than their own children. As if the older we get the more better we become at bullshitting ourselves and others.
     
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  5. Asmodean

    Asmodean Slo motion rider

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    So animals can be evil too?
     
  6. themnax

    themnax Senior Member

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    this is so painfully true. it is not that the universe needs a creator, it is that as humans, or any other kind of beings, we do not need to argue about what we cannot and do not know.
    there is a need to not hurt each other, but there is no need to claim knowledge, that may have substance but not a kind of form that can be expressed by words.

    there are things, it makes absolutely no difference what we claim to know about them,
    but which does great harm to demand and condemn others for not claiming to know the same as ourselves.

    indeed i question how much harm would still exist if no one did this, and i suspect, very little indeed.
     
  7. themnax

    themnax Senior Member

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    an animal might bite you, but he/she isn't going to torture you for not claiming to believe the same things as him/her self, about other animals or anything else.
     
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  8. Irminsul

    Irminsul Valkyrie

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    Everybody has seen the killer whales play with seals before killing them for fun.
     
  9. Asmodean

    Asmodean Slo motion rider

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    Sure. But would you say that makes them evil? Does evil makes them do it?
     
  10. themnax

    themnax Senior Member

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    lunch is lunch. (unless its cannibalism, which increases the risk of spungiform encephalitis) evil is a choice to cause harm, rooted in narcissism.
    it is not inherent to a species. nor does the survival needs of other species make excuses for sapient creative individuals, who have a choice of diet.
     
  11. Varmint

    Varmint Member

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    People tend to view "evil" as "wicked", which it certainly isn't. While wickedness is rightly perceived as unrighteousness, evil is something entirely different. Evil is defined as something that causes stress, anxiety, fear, and insecurity. Oddly enough, Jesus told his own disciples "If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts...." which is an astonishing admission that, even though these were the same men He sent out two by two to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, open the eyes of the blind, etc.... they were, by their OWN nature, evil, THIS is why Jesus had to go to the cross and pay the price for our sin Himself. We simply, by our very nature, lack the qualifications to perform this feat for the sins of the world.

    The heart of man is desperately wicked, and deceitful above all (taken from the Bible). That word "all"...? It means just that. Our hearts are more deceitful than the devil himself. Imagine that one for a moment. He sinned before there was a devil to tempt him, but our hearts are more deceitful than his. Which is why we have a natural tendency to gravitate to sin, and generate such evil ourselves.

    These are my thoughts. I'm not going to engage in bigotry or prejudice, nor will I judge anyone else, as I haven't the power, let alone the qualifications to do so. Judgement comes only AFTER death. Grace and peace to you all, my friends.
     
  12. Irminsul

    Irminsul Valkyrie

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    They're clearly evil!
    Not only killing poor seals but they only mate with other killer whales making them racists.
     
  13. Varmint

    Varmint Member

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    Are you sure they're doing it for fun? Are they doing it because they like the flavor fear and being tired and worn out gives their lunch?
     
  14. Irminsul

    Irminsul Valkyrie

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    Looks like fun to me.
    Watch em for yourself.
    They play tennis with them with their tails. I've seen them take a seal off ice and put it back so it can knock it off again, repeat 10x

    Everybody likes to think the animals are so far apart from humans like there's no conceivable way an animal could behave like that, but just go watch national geographic channels and see what animals actually do.

    And apes and monkeys have wars and rape other apes and monkeys.
     
  15. Asmodean

    Asmodean Slo motion rider

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    Yes, but I don't think its an evil force that makes them do it. They're not evil. Just animals acting on their animal impulses. Same with humans doing 'evil' stuff, they're giving in to their basic instincts and cravings and often have some kind of disturbance, like a complete lack of conscience (psychopath) or other mental disorder.
     
  16. themnax

    themnax Senior Member

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    narcissism specifically. which not even a god ultimately eludes its own karma.
    which is why if a god is good, it has neither the slightest desire to be feared, nor owes anything to what people tell each other.
    (which yes, i appreciate the paradox, but really wanting to be feared by everything else in the universe is the greatest evil i can imagine,
    which i don't entirely trust the concept of instinct either, other then as first impulse, but not as over riding choice)
     
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  17. themnax

    themnax Senior Member

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    few of us recognize our fellowship with our food. if we did most of us would probably starve.
    there is nothing about other creatures that is that much different from ourselves.

    only real thing i've been able to observe, is how much some of us like to make things.
    its only by having surrounded ourselves so completely by the things that we make,
    that we are able to imagine ourselves as much different of a thing.

    when humans become extinct, some other creature will most likely start painting and writing, and that will be that.
    the "meek" having "inherited" the earth.

    there's another thing, not just the dark side, but the light as well.
    mother's of other species do sometimes adopt orphans in the wild,
    even some times you will see cross species companionship as well.

    there's all kinds of everything that can and does happen.
    just some more and less often.
     
  18. Lego Batman

    Lego Batman Scissors paper rocks

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    the only thing that separates us from animals is technology.
    that is what I think anyway.
     
  19. Okiefreak

    Okiefreak Senior Member

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    We need to define evil. A consequentialist defines it in terms of results: a propensity to do more harm than good to the greatest number of people, or extraordinary harm to one person or a few people. A deontologist emphasizes motives: the desire to inflict harm on others. I think we ususally think of it as a combination of the two. We ordinarily don't think of a tornado as evil, since it has no volition.. For the same reason, we don't hold non-human animals responsible for their actions, even those killer whales, who may think their conduct is fun but don't know the difference between right and wrong. We even tend to relieve humans from responsibility for inflicting harm on others if it was unintentional or insane: a product of a diseased mind incapable of telling right from wrong or distinguishing the nature and quality of one's actions. A person who can tell right from wrong and knows what (s)he's doing will cause harm and does it anyway is evil.
     
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  20. Asmodean

    Asmodean Slo motion rider

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    It's the brain. That makes us use and develop tools and technology.
     
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