Matt Anderson
Philosophy of Good and Evil
Sec. 19 Group 2
The
idea of good and evil has been around for as long as man can remember, but how
did it come about? And why? It is the human tradition that good triumphs over
evil in almost every circumstance. But how did good and evil start? Some would
say that they are natural in the world. But one has to wonder, what is the
concept of good and evil, and how did it all come about?
To fully understand the idea of good
and evil in the world, one must know what good and evil are. Good is defined as
‘morally excellent, virtuous, and righteous’ by the dictionary. It is more
commonly known as all things innocent, someone or something that only ever does
the right thing (by moral standards). Someone that is good is a hero to those
around him, and whose actions are only to help and benefit people. The most
common figure associated with being good is God. The Lord Almighty is seen as a
purely benevolent being, who only wants the best for man. Even after Adam and
Eve disobeyed him and committed the first sin on Earth, he helped them and put
them in a position to survive and prosper. But that first act of sin also can
be where evil came from.
Evil is the complete opposite of
good. Anyone who does something bad, such as murder, theft, or lying, can be
considered evil. Evil beings all have the common intent of trying to harm or
destroy something or someone, either for their own benefit or just to watch
things fall apart. The dictionary definition is the exact opposite of good,
being morally wrong, wicked, and not virtuous.
Now when it comes to good and evil,
if you’re a Christian you could argue that evil began when Satan, in the form
of a snake, tempted Eve to bite into the fruit. Between that first act and
man’s free will, over time evil has developed into much more. Cain murdered
Abel, and there are countless other examples of evils in history starting from
that. Now a days, there are examples evil everywhere, from infamous events such
as Hitler’s Holocaust and the September 11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers,
to less public instances of murder and theft that happen every couple of
seconds around the world. There are, however, many examples of good on Earth
too, whether it be the countless charities dedicated to helping those that are
diseased, starving, or living in overly harsh conditions, or down to small acts
of kindness such as giving some homeless person on the side of the street some
food or cash.
Despite all of that though, I still
believe that good and evil are just a concept fabricated by man to justify
their actions and belittle others. Good and evil are, when it comes down to it,
just a matter of perspective. Nearly everyone in our society can agree that
taking another person’s life is wrong and evil, but there are societies and
religions in other places that don’t. Some Muslims, for example, believe that
removing infidels (non-Muslims, and Jews in particular) from the Earth is the
will of Allah, their God, and that when they kill an infidel they are doing
right. Or even by our own beliefs, if someone is holding a loaded gun to your
head and is about to murder you and you get the opportunity to stop him but
only by taking his life, does taking that chance make you an evil person? On a
grander scale, what some situation were to arise and you were able to save
millions of lives simply by killing one person who plans to kill all of those
people. Would you be evil for killing that one person, even though you saved
millions as a result? Or you could flip the situation. What if you knew a
person who was completely brain dead and would never live a normal life and
they somehow managed to get a message to you saying that they wanted you to
pull the plug. Does it make you a good person that you are preserving that
life, despite the fact that they want it to end? Would you be evil if you did
what the person requested and did end their life? These are all hard questions
that could be argued forever, because everyone has a slightly different view on
the matter.
The whole concept of good and evil,
just like with the line between what is right and what is wrong, is just a
matter of perspective. What one person might find an act of good, someone else
may find it evil, such as with the case of the Twin Towers. And that goes both
ways. Everyone on Earth has different judgment, views, and perspectives, and
while people can come to a general consensus on what good and evil are, there
is always going to be someone else to refute it and think the opposite. Good
and evil are simply labels given to the actions and decisions of man, and even
though they have clear definitions, there will always be different views on
what they really are.
You're overstating your case. Everyone doesn't have a different view about g&e. In fact, about half of all Intro to Philosphy students say pretty much what you've said. Relativism always strikes them as the magnanimous view, and they do mean well. And you're right, people have different views about some things. In a few prominent instances, they have wildly different views. But I haven't encountered anyone who thinks their own pain or loss is just somebody else's random label.
ReplyDeleteThere's so much evidence for good and evil in the world. I think an important question to bring up is are we all good or evil? How good is good enough to be considered good? If you go your whole life doing good but then kill someone at end of your life, are you still considered a good person? What's the balance and where does the line draw? I think it goes back to everyone being broken choosing their own ways and basically being selfish every time you do something "evil" like lie to benefit yourself, cheat, steal, or even talk behind someone's back. I think we all definitely regret decisions we make that cause us to be "evil" but accept the fact that we can't ever be truly good and perfect and decide to keep going on through life. That's where i believe there's a need for a savior comes in and gives the broken people hope of redemption, purpose on earth, an eternal personal relationship with God and salvation after this life passes, but that's an entirely different subject. Awesome blog though, I love thinking about subject such as good and evil and sharing other's thoughts on them.
ReplyDeleteI like to think of good and evil much like the eastern belief of yin and yang. They are complete opposites yet still one in the same, as one cannot exist without the other for it would throw the scales out of balance. They forever dance in circles around each other. That goes from the grandest scales down to our own personal consciousnesses. Just thought that idea could be applied in talking of their relationship and perspective. Also that every culture on Earth has its own belief on what good and evil are as well as their origin, the western belief is just one of many rivers leading to the same ocean. Good analyzation of the definitions though and good essay. Good and Evil are great philosophical topics to think about.
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