Do you believe in Good and Evil?

[The Good]

Regardless of your religion, or lack thereof, do you believe in the concept of good and evil?

[Chief Astook]

i believe in perspective

[The Good]

i believe in perspective

Please tell me about this perspective then.

[Ragabash]

I do not believe separate entities such as good and evil but I do believe that definition of the word can be used as a mean of description.

[The Good]

I do not believe separate entities such as good and evil but I do believe that definition of the word can be used as a mean of description.

Do you mean that you believe good and evil are relative?

[sirfiggin]

I believe Good and Evil represent two over-simplified catagories that are used by Disney to write most of their plots.

[AqD]

I believe Good and Evil represent two over-simplified catagories that are used by Disney to write most of their plots.

Agreed!
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[Fingy]

I believe Good and Evil represent two over-simplified catagories that are used by Disney to write most of their plots.

I agree! I don't believe that good and evil exist, they are simply a matter of perspective and opinion. I'll let Epictetus say it for me:

"Where is the good? In the will. Where is the evil? In the will. Where is neither of them? In those things which are independent of the will."

[Oldgamer]

As I read this thread, over the last several days, it becomes increasingly obvious that most people believe that "good" and "evil" consist of good or evil actions, and that "good" and "evil" are based upon one's perspective.

What I would like to know is how many people in this thread believe in "Good" or an actual "Evil", as personified in ... for example only (don't bite my head off!) ... "God" and "Satan"?

[Ragabash]

Do you mean that you believe good and evil are relative?

I do not believe that such entities as evil or good exist outside their cultural entity to offer explanation from cultures point of view; to exist as a definition to explain something, but not as a separate or existant entities.

To put it short; they are just words to descripe something to me, not separate or existant entities.

[Old_Scratch]

There can be things that are good or bad for you or for society, but there is no ultimate good or evil. We are all part of the universe and the universe in indifferent.

[Eskali]

There can be things that are good or bad for you or for society, but there is no ultimate good or evil. We are all part of the universe and the universe in indifferent.

You just hit the nail on the head.

Of course you can always tell the 10%,

1. Your life sucks.
2. You were born this way.
3. You can't change this.
4. Enjoy!

My favorite of Murphy's Law's:

Smile...Tomorrow will be worse.

[The Good]

I do not believe that such entities as evil or good exist outside their cultural entity to offer explanation from cultures point of view; to exist as a definition to explain something, but not as a separate or existant entities.

To put it short; they are just words to descripe something to me, not separate or existant entities.

I have a problem accepting the relativity of it all. For example, in every culture, murder is universally regarded as bad or evil. No one can change that.

lets take a "grey area" situation.

do you believe it is good or evil when a poor man steals to feed himself or his family?

there are too many perspectives on that situation to name, and i gurantee you can find many of them on this forum from people answering that simple question.

You have a point about the poor man, as he was just stealing to survive. But stealing is still immoral, especially moreso if the thief is well off to begin with. I know that if I were poor, I would try holding off on stealing as long as I could, trying to beg or work for food first. There are ways around stealing, in most circumstances like these.

[Old_Scratch]

I have a problem accepting the relativity of it all. For example, in every culture, murder is universally regarded as bad or evil. No one can change that.

Not to the pre-Colombian Mesoamericans. They believed murder in the form of sacrifice was necessary to maintain the universe.

[Ummagumma]

I have a problem accepting the relativity of it all. For example, in every culture, murder is universally regarded as bad or evil. No one can change that.

Yes, Murder is universally 'An Evil thing(tm)'. However, the concept of 'Murder' is not a universal thing. State-sponsored murder in the US for example is, to me, an unthinkable act of most hideous evil, while I am sure many or most US Americans see it as 'Justice'.

This entire question is as Farcical as the "Love/Fear" thing in Donnie Darko.

[Ragabash]

I have a problem accepting the relativity of it all. For example, in every culture, murder is universally regarded as bad or evil. No one can change that.

Is that because there are separate and existant entities such as good and evil, or because murder has negative impact in all cultures; thus murder being considered evil basically in all cultures?

[AqD]

I have a problem accepting the relativity of it all. For example, in every culture, murder is universally regarded as bad or evil. No one can change that.

How about that we murdered millions (if not billions) of pigs for dinner?
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[Chief Astook]

perspective simply means that it is in the eye of the beholder what is this and what is that.

lets take a "grey area" situation.

do you believe it is good or evil when a poor man steals to feed himself or his family?

there are too many perspectives on that situation to name, and i gurantee you can find many of them on this forum from people answering that simple question.

[iudas]

It all depends, indeed, on the perspective. Essentially, yes, I do believe that good and evil can be used to describe human behaviour, but it's much more complex and nuanced than that. I believe actions can be considered either good or evil from various points of view. Humans are too complex creatures to be classified so simply, though some have the tendency of helping others, some of harming them.

[finneys13]

I believe in grey