What do you think about "good" and "evil"? (America, quote)
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I don't know how else to put it, but today I was in class and we were discussing some issues. And well, the professor was talking about how nations are too concerned with being superior, how this happens everywhere, and there's no unity among nations (I'm in Chile, but he's an American professor that lives here... although he's very critical of the US). So the thing is, he said we never care about being honest, kind, loyal, loving, peaceful, etc., etc. And we were discussing some horrendous things about how natives around the world (Native Americans, mostly) have suffered a lot because of the greed of industrialized nations.
Well, it really left me thinking. If we know that honesty, love, kindness, etc. are good and are what we should strive to cultivate in society, then why are "evil" attitudes like hate, greed, selfishness and violence the "winners"? I mean, if you notice how the world is today, especially regarding politics and such, well, "evil" certainly wins. I wonder why... are we that cynical that we talk about promoting values, but we just don't follow them, and why? Is "evil" the new good?
It's just really confusing, since practically everyone - regardless of nationality, political views, religion, etc. - knows that love, kindness and honesty are universal values that are desirable, while negative attitudes and feelings should be discouraged. Then why? Is is money? Is it actually human nature, and just normal? Sometimes, when I'm pessimistic, I can't help but think that values are artificial constructions, ideals that are just unnatural to us. But if they were so unnatural, then how could we have created them? Do you think we'd be happier if we followed them?
What do you all think about this? I'm sorry it's not that clearly written, I'm not really good at expressing this type of things clearly.
Good and bad exist, as do right and wrong. But evil does not. Evil is a religious construct dreamed up by superstitious humans.
Agreed. To the OP...read Nietzsche's book Beyond Good and Evil...it shows how dialectical ideas such as "good" and "evil" are constructs, as are other human institutions (even language). We can still ,as a society, set in place rules to distinguish "good" from "bad" so that people don't go on murderous rampages, but society constructs these notions....they are not inherent beyond our need as humans to have them. I also recommend you watch Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemenours" for a modern perspective.
In Papua New Guinea, it is "good" to ceremonially eat corpses and kill enemies from neighboring tribes. In the US it is "bad" and even "evil"
Here in Salt Lake City it is "bad" for a man to kiss his boyfriend in public, but in San Francisco, it is "good"
On the city data forum it is "bad" to write the word pi$$, but it is "good" to go do it after being on the computer for too long.
I like the Eastern method of looking at things better, where things are understood as varying degrees of positive and negative forces, not just "good" or "evil"
Good and bad exist, as do right and wrong. But evil does not. Evil is a religious construct dreamed up by superstitious humans.
Evil does not exist. That again as another wrong statement from you.
Main Entry: 1evil
Pronunciation: \ˈē-vəl, British often & US also ˈē-(ˌ)vil\
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): evil·erorevil·ler; evil·estorevil·lest
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English yfel; akin to Old High German ubil evil
Date: before 12th century 1 a: morally reprehensible :sinful, wicked <an evil impulse> b: arising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct <a person of evil reputation> 2 aarchaic:inferiorb: causing discomfort or repulsion :offensive <an evil odor> c:disagreeable <woke late and in an evil temper> 3 a: causing harm :pernicious <the evil institution of slavery> b: marked by misfortune :unlucky
— eviladverb,archaic
— evil·ly \-(l)ē\ adverb
— evil·ness \-nəs\ noun
Evil does not exist. That again as another wrong statement from you.
We've gone through this already. Apparently you lack reading comprehension skills along with many other things.
Oh, look...leprechauns exist, too:
leprechaun
–noun Irish Folklore. 1. a dwarf or sprite. 2. a conventionalized literary representation of this figure as a little old man who will reveal the location of a hidden crock of gold to anyone who catches him.
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