Define good and evil.
Riffing off Paul's post http://community.artofmanliness.com/forum/topics/morality-and-devia... I'd be interested to read how people define good and evil.
Clearly we have some theists amidst us, and for them the question should be easy to answer, but I'm more interested in whether or not the atheists have their own clear, concise and unambiguous definitions that do not reference any divine arbitration.
I do have my own ideas, but I don't want to color others' responses. At least not yet.
Clearly we have some theists amidst us, and for them the question should be easy to answer, but I'm more interested in whether or not the atheists have their own clear, concise and unambiguous definitions that do not reference any divine arbitration.
I do have my own ideas, but I don't want to color others' responses. At least not yet.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Yankee Cowboy Bob on -
How can it be in objective terms? By a vote, perhaps? Even so, it seems to me that the relativity of the whole thing would change along with the society like a cork in the ocean.
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Permalink Reply by Robert Disque on -
In fact it has changed with society. What was considered evil by popular culture 100 years ago is accepted by popular culture today.
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Permalink Reply by Joseph L. Rogers on -
Doesn't mean it's not evil. These are absolute concepts, folks...
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Permalink Reply by Robert Disque on
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Evil can only be an absolute concept for the life of one individual. For instance, human sacrifice wasn't evil for pre-Columbian Mesoamericans. But is sure as hell is evil for us. Evil is a human construct there bye it will change as humans change.
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Permalink Reply by Preston on -
Alcohol was been labeled evil in past. "The idea of alcohol as evil took root 150 to 200 years ago (Lender & Martin, 1987; Levine, 1978)"
If good and evil are absolute, why is it legal now?
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Permalink Reply by Chris on -
If its ok Mungo I would like to go ahead and answer Jamie's question. I hope this does not takes us to far off track..
Jamie, I cant speak for all, but I can for myself. I live by two principles...
First, the happiness principle: it is a higher moral principle to always seek happiness with someone else’s happiness in mind, and never seek happiness when it leads to someone else’s unhappiness.
Second, the liberty principle: it is a higher moral principle to always seek liberty with someone else’s liberty in mind, and never seek liberty when it leads to someone else’s loss of liberty.
I do this because I have a responsibility as a member of the herd to do my part to keep the herd happy :)
And besides, It makes me happy to do it.
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Permalink Reply by Mungo Hossenfeffer on -
If its ok Mungo...
Of course it is!
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Permalink Reply by Chris on
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I believe morality came about long before religion. We had to function as a family unit, then a tribe. honesty and sharing had to exist for the tribe unit to thrive. Tribes that had a "Look out for yourself" rule to beside matters tended to fall apart. As tribes became larger and larger groups The family unit rules could no longer control all, So religion became more and more important as a way to keep the peace. There is a great book written my Michael Shermer called "The Science of good and evil" Its worth the reading.
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Permalink Reply by Michael D. Denny on -
Bettering humanity, good. Worsening humanity, Evil.
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Permalink Reply by Will on -
Cruelty and kindness to animals also has a moral dimension, right?
Is there a case in which bettering humanity takes a back seat to bettering the life of an individual?
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Permalink Reply by Chris on
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ah, this is the same argument they used for torture. (I'm sure you didn't mean that extreme though)
I wish I had an answer for this, I really do. I'm happy I don't have to make that kind of decision, I don't think I would care to look at that side of myself.
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