echineko 1 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 At my eikaiwa class, I must make preparation for talk on "what is evil?" It is quite dark subject I think but I have some problem understading nuance. Wiki encyclopedia says this: "In ethics, evil refers to behavior, which does harm, is dishonest, or fails to honor agreements. In some religions, notably Christianity, evil is an active force. In the Christian religion, good is, by definition, what God intends, and Satan works to spread evil (disobedience) in the world. Evil thoughts are as serious as evil actions. In Zoroastrianism there are two Gods, the good Ahura Mazda and the evil Ahriman. In most cultures, evil is used to describe acts or thoughts which are contrary to an established religion, or which could bring about suffering and death — the opposite of good." What do you think is meaning of evil? Like what make a person "evil"? Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 evil? George Bush Christian fundamentalists Republicans Royce Chocolate working on holidays only having 1 day off a week or sometimes less taxes hunting whales/dolphins masturbating cuz it kills kittens when it rains in winter need any more? Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 "In ethics, evil refers to behavior, which does harm, is dishonest, or fails to honor agreements." I think that definition is wrong. Evil is more like 'knowingly and purposefully causing harm for no valid purpose' In everyday life I think it is mainly used in fictional circumstances, such as to describe a character in a story, or as a joke 'that fart was evil' etc. Link to post Share on other sites
Domokun_72dpi 0 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 I really couldn't understand exactly where the term originated from. One issue I have, is that if the term is used in a social comment, then that comment assumes the person it is directed to believes in the modern understanding that there is "good & evil". For instance: A judge condemns a criminal in court because his actiosn were "evil". Well, what if the criminal doesn't believe in religion, and has a philosophy different to that of typical religions. Is it fair to force such beliefs on someone? I don't subscribe to this way of thinking, but some might, so I pose this objectively. For me, I believe that "Evil", in the modern term, can be genetic, or can be social, in it's development. just my 2 cents... Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 If you want to say something different you can just say like this: "evil is a word made up of 4 letters. the first letter is e and it ends in l. if you write it backwards it spells 'live'. the word 'devil' is quite similar to 'evil'" etc - ie dont get into the semantics of it. Link to post Share on other sites
bushpig 0 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Originally Posted By: Creek Boy evil? masturbating cuz it kills kittens Mustn't be many kittens in your neighbourhood then eh cb! Link to post Share on other sites
kokodoko 67 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 is good and evil absolute or relative? ask plato. Personally i think everything is relative. We just make up these concepts so that society will function in an orderly fashion and the ones who have fought for power can stay in power. It has been like that since the cavemen days. Ask the shaman. Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 some things are evil - child abuse and genocide come to mind. i would find it hard to think of an argument that classifies those as anything other than evil Link to post Share on other sites
kokodoko 67 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 yes, of course, any sane person would not condone those sorts of behaviour. Society has set the standards but there is no inherent evil or good. We choose where we draw the line arbitrarily, imho. You sort of have to or people will just do unspeakable things. The Mongol/Tartar hordes would have perpetrated genocide all over the place. I think that would have been wrong, but did they think it was a bad thing? Or was it a political tool, terror as an amoral means to control a subjugated country. The Atomic bombs on hiroshima/nagasaki. Was that an evil act or a political/wartime necessity? Consider the greater good. Can we do an evil act for the greater good? Link to post Share on other sites
skidaisuki 0 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 'evil' can be.... completely subjective. One man's 'evil act of terrorism' may be a blow for freedom for another. It depends where you stand, really. Now I've helped you with your homework echi, what do I get in return...? Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 skisaisuki, you forgot Short skis Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Originally Posted By: Bushpig Originally Posted By: Creek Boy evil? masturbating cuz it kills kittens Mustn't be many kittens in your neighbourhood then eh cb! Come to think of it, there arent any kittens in Kansai Link to post Share on other sites
skidaisuki 0 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Oyuki - boarders, you mean? Nope - not all of them are evil, especially cute boarder chicks who dig skiiers... Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 that, my friend, is a rare species indeed. The last one i can remeber seeing was on one of those Canon ads inside the cover of a '92 National Geographic. Link to post Share on other sites
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