Thread: Define "Good" and "Evil"

I thought you might enjoy this thread, MM...

The title pretty much says it. To clarify, I'm not interested in examples as primary definers (i.e. "Evil is when Darth Vader cuts off Luke Skywalker's hand"), but rather in defining a way to determine whether examples are good and evil (i.e. "Anything that exhibits X, Y, and Z is good").

Good=Truth

Evil=lie

You should already know my definition of Truth. A lie is very simple, its the intent in your heart to manipulate something for selfish reasons. I'll try to think of examples and post them later, although I doubt anyone would really be that interested, most want to argue over relative POV's and don’t really believe in absolutes.

Does anyone here besides me believe in absolutes?

Originally Posted by drgoodtrips

I thought you might enjoy this thread, MM...

Only if you go first!

Originally Posted by kingdaddy

Does anyone here besides me believe in absolutes?

I admire your belief in absolutes.

I might venture to add that I think I did a decent job (in your "What is Truth?" thread) of defending the logical and rational grounds for your belief in absolutes. There is no need to thank me or even understand my argument - but that is one of the reasons I have for holding it - in order to defend your right to hold your view.

Originally Posted by Mad_Michael

Only if you go first!

I'll need some time to ponder - going home for a celebratory dinner with the fiancee, as of last night... so, I might not be on this evening.

Originally Posted by drgoodtrips

I'll need some time to ponder - going home for a celebratory dinner with the fiancee, as of last night... so, I might not be on this evening.

A good thread is like a fine wine... it ought to age well. And the conditions of your delay seem entirely justified and worthy of celebratory antics!

And I too shall give the matter some thought. I've rarely ever considered the matter in such stark terms before...

Perhaps some others will share their thoughts as kingdaddy already has done?

I don't like to deal in absolutes... I'll give it a shot though.

Good: anything that activly seeks to benefit someone without that benefit being at the expense of others

Evil: anything that activly seeks to harm someone.

Everything else is shades of gray. I'm not sure if I agree with my definitions. I'm just throwing them out there.

One thing i have often argued in the past with varying success (in my own mind anyway) is that good is what is healthy from a physiological and sociological perspective. Im including thought and general mental experiences in my definition of physiological and sociological. Things like eating well and getting excersize are the most obvious examples of what might be considered good. Other things that are also healthy for the individual, but not always so obvious, are happiness, mental stimuli, knowledge, experience and awareness. Figuring out the most effective way for a human to live in accordance with the fact of his physical being in a community of other people is the highest form of justice. And genuine justice is good.

Evil on the othe hand would be the things that are not healthy from a physiological and sociological perspective. Cigarettes are a form of evil and an obvious example of what i mean. Evil is things that are against the highest form of justice in accordance with the fact that we are socio-political animals. Health, happiness, and general well-being with the other people around you in a community, and the community can be considered as small as my neighborhood or as big as the globe, is justice, and justice is good. The things that we do that do not promote this form of justice cause ferment in communities of people and are considered evil.

Living healthy in all aspects of life through childhood and into adulthood will always promote the success of the society around us, and that is justice to who we are, and that is good.

Andrew

Originally Posted by Donkey_Left

I don't like to deal in absolutes... I'll give it a shot though.

Good: anything that activly seeks to benefit someone without that benefit being at the expense of others

Evil: anything that activly seeks to harm someone.

Everything else is shades of gray. I'm not sure if I agree with my definitions. I'm just throwing them out there.

Well put, IMO, thats thinking with your soul and not your brain.

Don't believe in these for myself but here we go:

1)Good is any action that provides me personal pleasure on the physical or emotional level or leads to an educational experience to provide for future pleasure.

2)Evil is any action that harms my own being in a physical or emotional manner and provides for no future oppurtunity for a pleasureable experience.

I just throw these out there. Specifically because any person who adopts these definitions would not lie in contradiction with any other persons concept of good and evil. Also, I think these rudimentary definitions might actually reflect what is rather than what we want things to be.

But I'm about to go smoke so what do I know.

Originally Posted by gnomon

Don't believe in these for myself but here we go:

1)Good is any action that provides me personal pleasure on the physical or emotional level or leads to an educational experience to provide for future pleasure.

2)Evil is any action that harms my own being in a physical or emotional manner and provides for no future oppurtunity for a pleasureable experience.

I just throw these out there. Specifically because any person who adopts these definitions would not lie in contradiction with any other persons concept of good and evil. Also, I think these rudimentary definitions might actually reflect what is rather than what we want things to be.

But I'm about to go smoke so what do I know.

This is the common view of the issue known as hedonism. I believe Socrates dealt with this pleasure/pain viewpoint quite admirably. Some pleasures are not 'good' and some pains are not 'bad'. Ergo, definition rejected.

(Though, of course we haven't agreed upon what 'good' and 'evil' is yet).