Evil exists if and only if good exists. Both good and evil exist if and only if a morality exists.
Whether or not a morality exists depends purely on what one means by a "morality." It's a definitional question, no? Clearly, people have moral intuitions, reflected in emotional preferences between options - certain options feel "right," certain options feel "wrong." There are at least two possible preliminary definitions of evil. First, is it having an incorrect or backwards moral map, such that actions that the large majority of people view as "wrong" are instead viewed as right? Second, is it the ability or tendency to act contrary to one's moral map - i.e., to choose and actually carry out options that "feel" wrong? I would suggest that this discussion is best carried out by focusing in on which question is being asked. Does the question "Does evil exist" refer to the first question, or to the second, or to either? Secondarily - and this is something I will have less agreement on - I will suggest that the topic basically turns entirely on definitions and hence not much headway can be made in thinking about it. Are there people who consistently choose actions, a much larger percentage of the time than do ordinary people, that are viewed by the large majority of people as being wrong? Yes, of course there are such individuals. Are such actions evil? That depends entirely on whether you assign blame to them. One can feel viscerally angry with such people yet, from a purely logical standpoint, assign no "blame" to them. Of course, generally in society we do assign blame. My personal tendency is not to do so - I don't find it very helpful. Actions exist in the world, I have visceral reactions and judgments of those actions, but I choose not to have "rational" judgments of those actions. It doesn't feel to me like it gets me anywhere. On Mar 17, 4:56 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > I tend to think of evil as a virus - though I don't mean I'd go > looking for it on the bench. We can all catch it, but probably get > inoculated against it too - though here we should also remember that > simple measures would eradicate malaria and we don't bother. I find > much less evil around when people will try to assess and accept facts > and take responsibility - our machine politicians don't recognise the > damage they do with their denials and public relations claptrap. One > can think of us infected by a Bureaucron species from afar, but I find > most evil is concerned with groupthink and rationalisation. Disaster > is very close. Cracking the evil of bureaucracy requires courage, but > this in turn trumpets the existential hero, perhaps Kierkegaard or > Nietzsche ironically urging us to ever more holiness beyond the > pretences of the holy. Most of the scandals emerging in the UK at the > moment involve bureaucratic lying by the usual suspects. We really > need some form of branding so we can get on with the cull. > > On 17 Mar, 14:53, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I think the world had a different moral code back then. No other > > nation stepped up when the US was wiping out the Native American > > tribes. Indeed, the Canadians provided safe haven, but did not engage > > the Americans. The ancient Romans engaged in genocide, as have > > African's - we can go on and on. I think today, looking at Somalia, > > it can go on for awhile before anyone challenges it. But we are > > moving into an era where globally we ban together and work toward > > ending this kind of "evil doing." We live in a world where this > > cannot stay hidden. > > > Is the question, what in human nature is destructive? Or cruel? Or > > murderous? Here in Detroit, the populous has been electing members of > > the Kilpatrick family to office for many years (Mayor and US > > Congress.) After the Mayor was removed from office for abuse of power > > and suspected in the later murders of two strippers his wife took a > > baseball bat to during a party at the Mayoral mansion, the feds began > > to investigate. Wow. Did it really take something like that to come > > to our attention? The feds have not yet indicted, but it is rumored > > that the investigation will reveal that the area has been long ravaged > > financially by this family in payoffs and power mongering. Why does > > it go on? > > > I think there is a level in our individual and group development, when > > we are so entrenched in self survival, and so need to follow the > > group, that predatory leaders like this can emerge and pillage, using > > rhetoric that speaks of group unity and identity, superficially > > filling the needs of the group while confiscating the less visible > > assets. New technology is not a be all end all for us - but the wire > > tapping, text message retrieval, cell phone recording does allow > > enough transparency that these folks have a much harder time of it > > now. My guess is, that for all their "evil" ingenuity, they will need > > to find ways to lead more honestly to survive now and in the future. > > Is it evil? Is it part of human nature or development? Has it always > > been here? Will it ever go away? > > > On Mar 17, 9:03 am, frantheman <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > On 17 Mrz., 00:15, gabbydott <[email protected]> wrote:> Come on, > > > Francis, you are an intelligent man. What are you saying > > > > about not knowing how many witnesses of the disappearance of Jews, > > > > Communists, and mentally ill people were evil? In respect to their > > > > dumbness they were all evil, of course. Their loved ones often would > > > > have focused on other qualities in them, obviously. > > > > Lost in translation? > > > It occurred to me, Gabby, that the word, "evil" in English is used > > > somewhat differently to its German equivalent "böse". In German the > > > word is used much more generally, e.g. "Du bist böse auf mich," > > > transl. "You are angry with me," "Das ist eine böse Falle," transl. > > > "That's a dangerous trap,", etc. "Böse" means evil, but can also mean > > > bad, angry, dangerous, unpleasant in English. The term "evil" in > > > English has, for me, more sinister connotations, but I may be just > > > confused. > > > > > So let’s talk about how that mechanism is applied today, rather than > > > > losing ourselves in yet another pointless ego debate. The main > > > > characteristic of that mechanism is the activated denial mode. > > > > Everything that doesn’t fit in your love frame of mind of yourself > > > > will not be commented upon or thought about but will be dreamt > > > > positively at night. When speaking of “revelling in the wonderful > > > > depth of Is-ness” you seem to have been working with the same > > > > technique. What about those others then who still want to remember the > > > > pre-pink days, the days before the eye turned blue? > > > > It was in this narrower, English context that I asked my question > > > about the "collaborators" during the 3rd. Reich. The question that > > > arises for me now is whether there is a difference between the Germans > > > in the 1930s and 40s who knew that their Jewish neighbours had > > > disappeared and were reportedly working in camps somewhere in the east > > > and those of us today who buy numerous electronic devices suspecting > > > that some of the metals built into them were mined by child/slave > > > labour working in poisonous strip mines in Central Africa? Does > > > complicity with evil make one evil? Are there degrees of evilness? > > > Does widespread structural and institutional evil make all those who > > > (often unthinkingly) profit from it evil themselves? > > > > Francis- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
