[quote:144t0yfz]"When I consider this carefully, I find not a single property which with certainty separates the waking state from the dream. How can you be certain that your whole life is not a dream?"[/quote:144t0yfz]
That's what makes a debate like this one so much fun!
Boring Subject: Help Needed
Moderators: Shir'le E. Illios, Bhaern Quel
Basically, you need to consider several things for the person reading your answer.
The first of these is, "what does it mean for an abstract concept to [i:l993irxt]exist[/i:l993irxt]?"
The second of these is, "does the presence of several different definitions of good and evil interfere with their 'existence', or does it exemplify it?"
And the third is, "are good and evil meaningful concepts?"
The first is really a question of proving that certain ways of thinking are of any use to us in the first place. Like, say, numbers: do numbers exist in real life, or do we just see situations and apply numbers to them? There are some oranges on the table: I shall apply my numbers... and now I say there are three oranges.
The second is in reference to the fact that, no matter how hard we try here, good and evil have more verifiable background as human-created concepts than they do as concepts passed down to us by something non-human, and as such, a large number of different definitions, as well as different criteria to fulfil for being such (eating pork for a Muslim might be considered evil, but probably wouldn't be for a Christian). So, some other examples of similar concepts (what does it mean to be friendly, perhaps) that are accepted as being true and existing might help.
The last might not be a great idea to explore unless you've read some Bertrand Russell, and you know your teacher's faith and their level of attachment to it. But yes, established good and evil as supernatural concepts basically requires trying to explain why these things are meaningful. The word supernatural, for example, is meaningless: there is no such thing. I'm not saying ghosts and things don't exist: it's simply that [i:l993irxt]if they exist[/i:l993irxt], they do so naturally, as part of the world. It's a ridiculous concept, and isn't meaningful. You can't point something out and say, "that's supernatural," to me. The question therefore is, can you point something out and say, "that's good/evil," to someone, and justify it well enough.
The first of these is, "what does it mean for an abstract concept to [i:l993irxt]exist[/i:l993irxt]?"
The second of these is, "does the presence of several different definitions of good and evil interfere with their 'existence', or does it exemplify it?"
And the third is, "are good and evil meaningful concepts?"
The first is really a question of proving that certain ways of thinking are of any use to us in the first place. Like, say, numbers: do numbers exist in real life, or do we just see situations and apply numbers to them? There are some oranges on the table: I shall apply my numbers... and now I say there are three oranges.
The second is in reference to the fact that, no matter how hard we try here, good and evil have more verifiable background as human-created concepts than they do as concepts passed down to us by something non-human, and as such, a large number of different definitions, as well as different criteria to fulfil for being such (eating pork for a Muslim might be considered evil, but probably wouldn't be for a Christian). So, some other examples of similar concepts (what does it mean to be friendly, perhaps) that are accepted as being true and existing might help.
The last might not be a great idea to explore unless you've read some Bertrand Russell, and you know your teacher's faith and their level of attachment to it. But yes, established good and evil as supernatural concepts basically requires trying to explain why these things are meaningful. The word supernatural, for example, is meaningless: there is no such thing. I'm not saying ghosts and things don't exist: it's simply that [i:l993irxt]if they exist[/i:l993irxt], they do so naturally, as part of the world. It's a ridiculous concept, and isn't meaningful. You can't point something out and say, "that's supernatural," to me. The question therefore is, can you point something out and say, "that's good/evil," to someone, and justify it well enough.
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Rooky
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From personal experience I know that Good and Evil are overly relative terms. As Malek said, only within an individuals mind is there any hint of Good and Evil.
As I said a while ago, I personally don't believe in it. I hang on strictly to Neutrality; that I believe is a constant and existent universal force.
Humans aren't Good or Evil, their Neutral, as all animals are.
Humans as a separate branch of the Primates, and thus have evolved with the very same instincts. A few thousand years of instinctual and intellectual separation and evolution probably separate us.
Emotions such as Anger, Rage, Jealousy, Happiness, Fear and Anxiety are created by evolution as part of our overall instinct.
All of these work either separately or at the same time to aid us in survival.
Emotions such as Joy, Pride, Discomfort (within ones own home or any other inhabited area) and others like them were a side effect to make us understand life more profoundly.
Dogs, Bats, Monkeys, Apes, Wolves, Gerbils, Ants...
All have these feelings, but the only difference between us and them is our increased intelligence. We are able to understand them on a larger basis then the rest of the animal kingdom, which allows us to to move onto more advanced research - Ethics.
Ethics allows us to witness deeper into human behavior. This is where the overall question of is it either Good or Evil came.
There aren't no great formulas to understand human behavior or animal behavior. It's all instinct.
As I said a while ago, I personally don't believe in it. I hang on strictly to Neutrality; that I believe is a constant and existent universal force.
Humans aren't Good or Evil, their Neutral, as all animals are.
Humans as a separate branch of the Primates, and thus have evolved with the very same instincts. A few thousand years of instinctual and intellectual separation and evolution probably separate us.
Emotions such as Anger, Rage, Jealousy, Happiness, Fear and Anxiety are created by evolution as part of our overall instinct.
All of these work either separately or at the same time to aid us in survival.
Emotions such as Joy, Pride, Discomfort (within ones own home or any other inhabited area) and others like them were a side effect to make us understand life more profoundly.
Dogs, Bats, Monkeys, Apes, Wolves, Gerbils, Ants...
All have these feelings, but the only difference between us and them is our increased intelligence. We are able to understand them on a larger basis then the rest of the animal kingdom, which allows us to to move onto more advanced research - Ethics.
Ethics allows us to witness deeper into human behavior. This is where the overall question of is it either Good or Evil came.
There aren't no great formulas to understand human behavior or animal behavior. It's all instinct.
:3
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DragonMind
- Maid
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Hmmmm....
If good and evil don't exist,
then humans wouldn't exist,
as duality is the basis of how humans act/interact.
good and evil is the ultimate duality,
which within we compare and box other things,
like feelings, moods, actions and reactions.
Even Jeremy Benthams moral philosophy,
which everyone uses, at least a little, is based on duality.
If good and evil don't exist,
then humans wouldn't exist,
as duality is the basis of how humans act/interact.
good and evil is the ultimate duality,
which within we compare and box other things,
like feelings, moods, actions and reactions.
Even Jeremy Benthams moral philosophy,
which everyone uses, at least a little, is based on duality.
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Arya Baenre
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[quote:z2wrbrux]You're welcome. By the way, I just saw your new signature, and I think I am falling in love... j/k I despise leetspeak and txtng and all other methods of raping the English language. [/quote:z2wrbrux]
XD Malek - thanks
I totally agree, though - I absolutely hate msn slang
[quote:z2wrbrux]If good and evil don't exist, then humans wouldn't exist,
as duality is the basis of how humans act/interact.[/quote:z2wrbrux]
Could you explain that a little more? I don't get why good and evil have to exist for us to - if we were the ones that made up the ideas, why would we need them to exist?
[quote:z2wrbrux]Evil happens when you treat people as things. [/quote:z2wrbrux]
What would that mean, exactly?
XD Malek - thanks
I totally agree, though - I absolutely hate msn slang [quote:z2wrbrux]If good and evil don't exist, then humans wouldn't exist,
as duality is the basis of how humans act/interact.[/quote:z2wrbrux]
Could you explain that a little more? I don't get why good and evil have to exist for us to - if we were the ones that made up the ideas, why would we need them to exist?
[quote:z2wrbrux]Evil happens when you treat people as things. [/quote:z2wrbrux]
What would that mean, exactly?
<--- is NOT a request.-
DragonMind
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