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What Is Good And What Is Evil?

What is good and what is evil?

If we take out all known religions and religious teachings then would there be a concept of 'good' and 'evil'? What is good and what is evil?

Evil What Good What

Without religion, good and evil would still exist, but the lines would be more indistinct. I think that which helps others would be considered good, and if something is harmful to another person that would be evil. The hardest part would be deciding which actions fit into one of these categories.

What Is Good And What Is Evil? Health & Special Psychology

I disagree, I think that the actual concept of 'good' and 'evil', mainly evil, would not exist outside of religion. If you are not a religionist or someone who is of faith of some sort, then you just do not see evil like they do. I used to be religious and and not now and don't see evil.

I believe that people are self satisfying even to grotesque ends. Thus I truly do not believe in evil. But my concept of evil, the picture that comes to my mind is derived specifically from religion and not any type of built in knowledge such as right and wrong. Evil, in my opinion, is a purely religious concept.

Evil What Good What

You don't see evil? If not evil, then how would you describe Hitler, or the kinds of things that go on in the heinous crimes thread, for example? I believe every sane person has an inherent ability to distinguish right and wrong, even without the benefit of religion. I think in many cases this ability is buried, or ignored for the benefit of, as you say, self-gratification.

Evil What Good What

Konquererz said:

I completely disagree with you, Konq. Even outside of any religious affiliation, I recognized evil when I saw it. As Valla pointed out, what about heinous crimes, serial killers, rapists? Are these not evil if they are not condemned by your priest?

In my opinion.

Roz

What Is Good And What Is Evil?

You have both pointed out that without religion we know the difference between right and wrong. Well of course we do, we are human and have lent that to our religious and social structures. But wrong doesn't mean evil. A child that strikes another child in the faces is wrong, but not evil. Making wrong choices and having warped views can be different and even very wrong but not evil. Evil is something given to someones own point of view, thus creating a different version of evil for everyone.

The KKK sincerely believes themselves to be right and even righteous in their cause. They don't believe Hitler was evil, but someone who was righteous in his purging of non-whites. One can be sincerely wrong with out being evil.

Take into account Hitler once again. Historians and psychologists have long suggested that Hitler had both a psychological problem and a drug problem. If this is the case, then does that change your opinion about Hitler? If he was drugged out or psychologically unstable, then could he be considered evil? I don't believe so.

I believe that people are the product of their social upbringing and childhood. That does not remove blame from people, but merely says that their beliefs and opinions don't necessarily reflect their fault while their actions obviously do. If a boy is sexually abused as a child, is it his fault that he grows up with thoughts that lean towards violence and rape? No. It is his fault for the crimes he commits, but the reason he did it is not that he is evil, but because of his upbringing. Again, I don't condone not holding him responsible for his actions, but merely saying that there is a foundation for the reason people do things that is not evil but uniquely human.

Evil is a construct of religion, not humanity. Being wrong doesn't imply evil, and most of the time, there is a perfectly human reason why someone thinks a certain way, no matter how devious and diabolical it may seem. In my opinion, evil is something used to aspire something other worldly at fault instead of something so human. Truly, its much easier to say that Hitler was evil rather than saying that he was human but had very wrong opinions caused by something that happened to him.

What Good What Evil

With all due respect, I disagree. While in some cases doing "wrong" may not be "evil," there are cases of true evil.

Killing a person is "wrong," stealing is "wrong," infidelity is "wrong," but how can you say that the rape, torture, dismemberment, starvation, and killing of innocent children is merely "wrong" because of some mishap in how a person was raised? What if there wasn't any abuse or dysfunction in that person's family? Is everything seriously "wrong" explained away by mental illness or drug abuse?

That's logical, I suppose. But that doesn't mean that evil doesn't exist.

IMO
Roz

Edited: FarSeer on 11th Jun, 2006 - 3:21am

What Good What Evil Psychology Special & Health

He may have said this but he also said he believe in his concept of good and evil. I think hitler was a mad man as well, he was evil but not to the core I'm sure he cared about some one. I believe that there is good and evil in all of us, just in different levels for each.