November 25, 2007
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Featured Question #105: Deep down inside
Do you think people are inherently good or bad?
Neither… we’re inherently insane. Without a proper foundation in sanity, questions of good and evil become moot.
Hah!
But seriously, good and evil are abstract concepts. They don’t technically exist outside of philosophical or religious debates. Nothing is inherently, intrinsically evil, and nothing is “good.” It’s all a matter of perspective and social pressures. What is good or evil in one generation may not be the next. What is good for one may cause evil for another.
But for the sake of argument, there are certain characteristics which seem to define evil and those are selfishness and malice. While I think that very few people are intrinsically malicious, selfishness is another matter. Without exception, human beings are selfish creatures.We are born that way. From infancy, everything is defined by its relation to ourselves. By a short stretch of the definition, it might be that malice is just an extreme form of selfishness, a selfish desire for others to relieve our rage coupled with a disregard for anything which is different from self.
Good and evil then, might be measured by how selfish one is. Since all creatures start out selfish, that is, self-serving, it could be argued that all creatures start out evil and it is only through our interaction with others and the development of empathy and compassion that we learn to better ourselves and become good. Good then would be defined as an absence of selfishness or evil, just as darkness defines light and vice versa. Neither good, nor evil, can be defined without using the one to preclude the other.
No one is completely free of selfishness and therefore, no one is completely free of evil. No matter how selfless someone is, they are still selfish… they still have desires. Even someone who desires only to please others is selfish in that the desire to please others pleases themselves. Those who give love wish only to receive it. Everything we do reflects on who we are. Everything we give is a reflection of what we want. With time, we learn patience and the delayed gratification of desire. With time, we forget to be selfish. It doesn’t make us less selfish; we just don’t think about what we want as much. It becomes sublimated with age and maturity.
Of course, this isn’t true for everyone. Serial killers, rapists, terrorists, despots…. these are all people who never learn or unlearn their selfish instincts. Incidentally, these are all people that society agrees are evil and always has. Such people seek only to gratify their desires, whether it is to commit violence or suppress freedoms. They are selfish and cannot bear to respect the desires of others as equally valid.
There are then greater and lesser evils. Everyone is evil in their own selfish way, but some people are universally evil and others are only evil when others catch them being selfish at their expense. Good, it seems, exists only as an alternative to evil. If selfishness equates with evil, and we all start off selfish, then evil came first before good… like the egg, before the chicken. Good is something learned and earned and nothing is intrinsically good because nothing that exists can do so without being selfish in some way. Even eating is a form of selfishness which asserts our right to exist over whatever it is we eat, not that I advocate a breathairean or anorexic lifestyle.
I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!
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OK… so, where is everyone? No one’s posting. You better not all be off shopping, because I will be sooooo disappointed in you.
OK, so maybe you’re all rehabilitating from a tryptophan overdose… see you Monday.
Part two of Good and Evil here:
Featured Question #105: Motivational Polarity
Comments (12)
Shopping is silly, but I will begin probably right after my husband’s birthday. Only after December 9th is the Christmas season allowed to start, I’ve decided… although the previous owner of our house DID leave some free white outdoor lights for us to drape about the house.
What about the theories that selfishness is a good thing? Capitalism? Libertarianism? Ayn Rand? I’m in the Jesus camp on this myself – be selfless, giving, loving. I guess Rand and libertarianism are more about taking care of yourself and being responsible so that others don’t have to be selfless on your behalf. Tough call. Enjoy your night.
Nah, I’ve been untangling 12 strings of Christmas lights. It takes a LOT longer than it sounds. I’ve still been reading though, I just haven’t been able to string (excuse the pun) a sentence together until today.
When I was a bit younger and more idealistic, I used to believe that people were all inherently good.
Boy did I learn some HUGE lessons…
Shopping shmopping, blech. I am so not my mother’s daughter when it comes to shopping.
Procrastinating on that end…
I’m resting up from Thanksgiving…and was decorating the house! Good, evil…. the real question is can you have one without the other?
A most excellent delving into the deeper core of the inquiry at hand. FL_boi ^^above^^ has posed an equal riddle.
I find great pleasure in the lighted sights and spices of the season, but in my own space just a quiet and magical air of midWinter, and if there comes a light snow, well, all the better for the nuance of things. The rest of it, I ignore. After the veils of December lift, it is just the long, cold days of January.
Blessings~
I think people inherently are. Good and evil are all relative concepts.
word to normally insanes response.
i so wanna know how long is your hair?
the locks of love donation bit crossed my mind many a time…
but my hair, is somewhat of a security blanket for me-you too?
I have much respect for what you wrote, but would like to add some constructive feedback.
You defined evil as “selfishness and malice” and good as “an absence of selfishness or evil.” This definition relies solely on the intentions of the individual subject, and does not take other important factors into account.
For example, I could be determined to save the world and, without any form of selfishness and malice, invent a chemical pesticide that allows an acre of land to triple production. I could do this to benefit humanity, maybe donate all the profits to charity. But, maybe it turns out that the pesticide is actually poison, and gives thousands of people cancer and destroys the ecosystem. By your definition, I would not be “evil.” But look at all the suffering that is caused, and consider the fact that through the perspective of others I would be viewed as “evil.” Is the pesticide and the helpful soul who invented it “evil?”
To borrow from Buddhism, the ignorance of the subject needs to be accounted for, and also the ignorance of those perceiving the action (Buddhists claim that ignorance is the root of all evil). The intention or desire of the subject should then be considered, as well as the action itself….whether it was done well or poorly. Finally, the results of the action should be taken into consideration. But, no matter what is considered, “good” and/or “evil” is sure to be relative and finite.
I enjoyed your post. Thanks.
Hmmm, Pretty interestig discussion here – you’re linked
I always thought selfishness is an essential part of that which helps us to survive. Would you say selfishness is all evil? If it is all evil why do you think we keep holding onto our selfishness.
It seems like we reached about the same conclusion from completely different perspectives. Fascinating stuff
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