Questions tagged [good-and-evil]
The good-and-evil tag has no usage guidance.
93
questions
0
votes
0
answers
23
views
In moral-psychology terms, is it in vain, if not downright counterproductive, to compare inner moral issues to combat, esp. as per Kantian ethics?
Note: this question concerns the reason I started posting on this SE years ago, and has to do with my obsession with universal sets, anti-terms (antisets of late), the morality of punishment and ...
- 7,108
2
votes
1
answer
49
views
Malum in se, Malum prohibitum - Bonum in se, Bonum?
Malum in se = Something that is evil in and of itself
Malum prohibitum = Something that is not evil in and of itself, but because it is forbidden by law
Then I guess on the opposite side we would have
...
- 2,036
2
votes
1
answer
42
views
"I vow that this sentence 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 be true," vs., "I vow that this sentence 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 be true"
To try to "explain" why the liar sentence is "logically dangerous" whereas the Gödel sentence is "logically helpful," I tried out contrasting the differing "effect&...
- 7,108
0
votes
0
answers
42
views
What is the "secular concept of evil"?
This chapter asks whether the concept of evil is exclusively religious
or supernaturally loaded, and what it means to say that evil exists.
Some atheists refuse to use the word “evil” because of what ...
user64211
1
vote
0
answers
32
views
Is ignorance about people's evil a lack of prudence?
Is ignorance about people's evil, especially other people's evil, a lack of prudence?
the quality of being prudent; cautiousness.
It would be, I think, particular lack of cautiousness, about other ...
user63148
1
vote
0
answers
32
views
In the Doctrine of Virtue, does Kant accidentally encode a solution to the redemption problem from his theory of radical evil?
The set-up. Having identified original sin as an inversion of our maxims vs. their intended order of priority, Kant goes on to note that the nature of radical evil makes it empirically impossible to ...
- 7,108
5
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Would tragedy exist if there was no evil but only good?
I watched Jordan Peterson's video about tragedy vs evil. It's been some time since but I thought about it a lot and now come to some questions that confuse me tremendously. I have the idea that ...
- 272
3
votes
3
answers
173
views
Evil in Utopia?
Here I am using 'evil' less in the religious sense (for I assume that for many religions, evil is inseparable from an Earthly realm, whether it be utopian or not), than in the sense of something like '...
- 3,731
0
votes
1
answer
60
views
Which philosophers, if any, have claimed that a limited amount of evil is possible? [closed]
In Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves, there is a footnote somewhere that quotes an unidentified source as saying something like, "The Messiah will not come until the Tears of Esau have ceased ...
- 7,108
1
vote
2
answers
86
views
Does the existence of evil support an obligation toward good, kindness etc
Most people, maybe not the happiest of egoists, seem to agree that evil exists, that some things are wrong. Does that fact alone suggest that less than evil acts should also be prohibited, that we ...
user59394
1
vote
2
answers
149
views
Is evil neccessary to society?
Despite attempts to improve the world around us, evil continues to exist. What may come off as incredulous to someone wants to do no harm, may be reasonable to the people doing immoral actions.
Take ...
- 103
0
votes
1
answer
45
views
Has a concept of good been defined separate from an anthropogenic perspective?
I am looking for a concept or word which may have been contrived that frames the attribute of “goodness” outside of any anthropogenic consideration. It would form the basis for measuring if an event “...
- 356
1
vote
1
answer
89
views
Does he or doesn't he? (Plato and the Form of Evil)
Some of my favorite books are the Thomas Covenant novels of Stephen R. Donaldson. For some reason, for a long time I thought the entities and forces in the "other world" of the story were ...
- 7,108
0
votes
0
answers
53
views
How rational "God permitting the killing of children as a greater good " defense"?
According to the Quran 18:65–82, Moses meets a man(called the Servant of God)
Moses asks for permission to accompany the Servant of God so Moses can learn "right knowledge of what he hasbeen ...
- 21
0
votes
2
answers
174
views
Is it possible to argue that the world is good from a theists perspective?
In all Abrahamic religions it is taught that everything that God does is for the good. Is it philosophically possible to argue that our universe is good without arguing from the perspective of a ...
- 137
2
votes
3
answers
280
views
Does Nietzsche answer what "the good" actually is?
Friedrich Nietzsche gives examples of different stuff people thought "the good" might be, and refers to the idea of slave and noble morality, but he doesn't seem to answer what "good&...
- 541
0
votes
2
answers
116
views
Do belief systems drive people to commit atrocities, or do people use belief systems as an excuse to commit atrocities?
Think of a random event of mass violence in history. If the perpetrators subscribed to a different religious or political belief system, would they have not committed it, because they had different ...
- 11
1
vote
3
answers
155
views
Is killing an suffering ant better than to leave her suffering? [closed]
In the morning, my mother accidentally stepped on an ant. Usually, the ant would die instantly, but this time it was suffering for a minute or so. I noticed and asked my mom to kill it so that it didn'...
- 111
3
votes
4
answers
285
views
Immorality, evil and badness without agency? Can inanimate objects be innately bad?
Proponents of relativism would argue it's easy to see that it is possible to take an inanimate object that someone in one system of belief considers not harmful, and yet find someone who believes such ...
- 1,723
-2
votes
2
answers
91
views
Is killing a crime reporter good as seen from the criminal commiting the murder?
Many people, including myself, shed a tear yesterday (and now again!) after the news came through that a here famous crime reporter died. Peter R. de Vries was (is!) a beloved man who helped people ...
user53288
4
votes
7
answers
1k
views
Why thank God for good things, but not blame God for bad things?
Why should one thank God for good things but not blame God for bad things? Why is it common for theists to do so? Rationally speaking, it seems one should both thank and blame, or do neither; this is ...
0
votes
1
answer
228
views
Is there a name for a philosophy that seeks to increase human suffering?
The vast, vast majority of ethic systems seek the minimization of human suffering as a good, considering it ethical or righteous in some way. Even anti-natalists believe this after a fashion, ...
- 111
1
vote
1
answer
101
views
Source of Cicero quote on good/evil?
Inability to tell good from evil is the greatest worry of man's life.
This quote is often attributed to Cicero. Unfortunately, I'm struggling to find much on Google beyond various "inspirational ...
- 15
3
votes
8
answers
493
views
How do we explain the brain's ability of thinking about non-materialistic concepts? [closed]
Question edited to avoid distraction
If a physical event from a materialistic point of view cannot be good or evil, and the brain is just made of matter, does this mean the concept of good/evil came/...
- 157
-1
votes
3
answers
152
views
Evil/good understood as selfish/cooperative
If we take a narrow view on good and evil, for practical applications (e.g. criminology, law), would it be correct to change the terms of "good" and "evil" with the supposedly more ...
- 107
2
votes
0
answers
103
views
How would Kierkegaard answer the problem of evil?
Will he consider evil as part of a greater good?
Or is it something beyond our reason?
What answer would be most consistent with his beliefs?
- 21
0
votes
0
answers
100
views
Is there a philosophical framework for deciding on exposing humanity changing technology?
Let us assume, there is an inventor who thinks he/she is possess a humanity altering technology. For example, an artificial intelligence. He/she is also concerned, with possible adverse effects, his/...
- 1
4
votes
6
answers
705
views
Would an all-powerful God still be all-powerful if they can never do evil?
God is perfectly good, and so never does any evil. God is also all-powerful, so God can do anything that is logically possible.
But, it's logically possible for there to be a bad world (a world with ...
- 3,756
-1
votes
3
answers
113
views
Is a good being, also just?
Question: Does a good being, also have to be just/fair?
Side Question: What philosophers/resources would be recommended to research such an idea?
- 7
6
votes
6
answers
612
views
Can any Christian action truly be morally good?
If someone does a morally good action because they fear God, which is a selfish motive, surely this means it is not a morally selfless action.
In the same way, if any morally good action is not ...
- 77
0
votes
2
answers
5k
views
What should you do in this situation?
You've been on a cruise for two days when there's an accident that forces everyone on board to abandon ship. During the evacuation, one of the boats is damaged, leaving it with a hole that fills it ...
- 19
0
votes
2
answers
280
views
Does God still know what He has forgotten?
The following is from the Christian text Hebrews 10:15-17: [my emphasis]
15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
16 “This is the covenant I will make with them
...
- 19.1k
0
votes
7
answers
448
views
What does it mean for something to be "evil"?
Is evil a perception or is it something that is objective?
Here's my line of thought on it: "If evil were a perception then the law would be moot to some extent. However, if evil were objective then ...
- 37
0
votes
1
answer
404
views
What does Beyond Good and Evil aphorism 4 mean?
It ends:
recognise untruth as a condition of life: that, to be sure, means
to resist customary value-sentiments in a dangerous fashion; and a
philosophy which ventures to do so places itself, ...
user35983
1
vote
1
answer
134
views
Has any philosopher claimed that reality is a simulation, and the evil genius wants us to stay alive, in order to explain what seems like a miracle? [closed]
Has any philosopher claimed that reality is a simulation, and the evil genius wants us to stay alive, in order for that philosopher to explain what seems like a miracle?
Would anyone ever admit to ...
user35983
4
votes
5
answers
696
views
Is evil a necessity?
I do acknowledge the fact that differentiating between good and bad is a next to impossible task due to lack of clarity in their definitions and their relative meanings.
It just bothers me that the ...
user34316
2
votes
1
answer
152
views
Is it ethical to try to convince someone of something without explicitly letting them know what that is?
Is it ethical or virtuous to try to convince someone of something without telling them explicitly what that is? For example, is it ethical to try to convince someone that an art work by Picasso is ...
- 311
2
votes
0
answers
72
views
Did Heidegger talk about malice at all?
Did Heidegger talk about malice at all?
I agree and find interesting if not useful most of Nietzsche's aphorisms but felt that his analysis of malice was just weak, and obviously so. However, I liked ...
user35584
1
vote
1
answer
604
views
Ethics vs manipulation: Is it ethical to manipulate and is ethics a form of manipulation?
Are there ethical frameworks in which manipulation is acceptable? Knowing that we are being raised and conditioned to accept an ethical framework since early childhood is it fair to say that all ...
user22051
12
votes
14
answers
107k
views
Trying to Understand Quote by Nietzsche
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a
monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also
into you." - Nietzsche (Beyond Good and Evil: ...
- 261
4
votes
5
answers
382
views
What is a non-circular definition of evil?
I am looking for literature on the definition of “evil”.
I have scanned through as many papers as I can, the ones I have read fall in three categories:
No definition at all. The author assumes that ...
- 395
5
votes
6
answers
4k
views
Why is it said that God is benevolent?
I'm not sure if this is the right SE but I'll try to ask this here. If it isn't the right SE please tell me in the comments and I'll delete my question.
Usually it's said that God is benevolent ...
- 161
2
votes
2
answers
545
views
History of Noble Savage idea
I used to believe that the idea of noble savage, that humans are innately well natured and corrupted into bad bahavior by socialization was originated by Rousseau. However, I just accidentally came ...
- 1,418
2
votes
2
answers
739
views
What happens when evil realizes it is evil?
Evil exists. Evil believes that what it does is right. And Good believes what it does is right. Both are right in their frame of reference. However if Good makes the Evil realize that it is Evil then ...
- 1,047
2
votes
1
answer
309
views
What is the exact relationship between empathy and evil?
In common parlance, we label people who lack empathy as "evil". That is, people who commit acts of evil because they cannot put themselves in the shoes of their victims are seen as evil.
Why is this? ...
- 23
19
votes
7
answers
7k
views
Is immorality just irrationality?
If someone acts immorally - assuming some sort of free will - then they are doing so despite it being demonstrably wrong, i.e. it is a mistake as surely as 1+1=3 is a mistake. Doesn't this then give ...
- 441
2
votes
4
answers
185
views
Has any philosopher ever claimed that doing "good" things is not good?
Has any philosopher ever claimed that doing "good" things is not good?
That may sound amusingly facile. And due to disagreement between what is "good" there's definitely something to say for its ...
user29495
0
votes
0
answers
210
views
Does pain tend to be more differentiated than pleasure?
Does pain tend to be more differentiated than pleasure? Which is said to be open to more interpretations and variations, pleasure or pain?
See what Sade had to say about this sort of question, quoted ...
user29299
3
votes
5
answers
545
views
Are there actually any good arguments for neoplatonist privation?
When it comes to dualism versus neoplatonist privation, are there actually any good arguments at all in favor of neoplatonist privation?
The argument for dualism seems obvious. It is known that some ...
- 61
3
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Are there any philosophies that view the whole of everything as evil?
I have noticed a pattern in philosophies where the successful ones I find all believe that everything, when viewed as one whole, is "good." This may be reached by assuming everything in the universe ...
- 17.3k