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Can good and evil exist without man?
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Author | Message |
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Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30608 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
Can good and evil exist without man? Simple question. Is man a requirement for good and evil to exist? |
Angela Send message Joined: 16 Oct 07 Posts: 13130 Credit: 39,854,104 RAC: 31 |
LOL! Fan of "Philosophy Talk", Gary? (We are too...) Don't hold back, people... After all, “The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality†(Dante Alighieri) |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30608 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
Hi Ang. Gary never fails to entertain us :-) They voted me best laugh in high school ... |
W-K 666 Send message Joined: 18 May 99 Posts: 19013 Credit: 40,757,560 RAC: 67 |
Needs a definition of good and evil. There are incidents that were regarded as acceptable in the past that would get you locked up for life as a minimum these days and vice versa. And are similar "evil" acts carried out in the animal kingdom, actually evil or a means of survival? |
bobby Send message Joined: 22 Mar 02 Posts: 2866 Credit: 17,789,109 RAC: 3 |
There's no such thing as good or evil. At best, they are relative terms used by those who judge. Since old-fashioned white men judge, I guess those terms cannot exist without with out old-fashioned white men. You appear to be suggesting that only "old-fashioned white men" judge. Do you believe others are unable, chose not to, some other reason? What evidence to you have to support your belief? I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that ... |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30608 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
Bobby, that is getting a little off topic, not that it isn't a worthy subject. |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30608 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
Needs a definition of good and evil. Yes, but is defining good and evil only something man can do? If so, then would you say that they don't exist without man. |
bobby Send message Joined: 22 Mar 02 Posts: 2866 Credit: 17,789,109 RAC: 3 |
Bobby, that is getting a little off topic, not that it isn't a worthy subject. Fair enough. Seems to me that if one were to accept that "good" and "evil" are notions that may arise from an ability to consciously judge, then perhaps Guy had a bit of a point that was on topic. While we know of no other species that has this ability, absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence. It was Guy's restriction of this ability to a specific subset of our species that struck me as odd. I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that ... |
W-K 666 Send message Joined: 18 May 99 Posts: 19013 Credit: 40,757,560 RAC: 67 |
Needs a definition of good and evil. Ok, accept your point, but in the animal kingdom, especially those where there is a Alpha leader does not the Leader make decisions about the behavior of the "guilty". |
bobby Send message Joined: 22 Mar 02 Posts: 2866 Credit: 17,789,109 RAC: 3 |
Needs a definition of good and evil. Anthropomorphism? I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that ... |
W-K 666 Send message Joined: 18 May 99 Posts: 19013 Credit: 40,757,560 RAC: 67 |
Needs a definition of good and evil. Isn't that more about observing human chacteristics in the animal kingdom, such as humour? |
Sarge Send message Joined: 25 Aug 99 Posts: 12273 Credit: 8,569,109 RAC: 79 |
Needs a definition of good and evil. And attributing decision making ability to animals is ... ? |
Bob DeWoody Send message Joined: 9 May 10 Posts: 3387 Credit: 4,182,900 RAC: 10 |
Since good and evil, like God are products of man's mind the answer is no. Good and evil need us to exist. Bob DeWoody My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events. |
Terror Australis Send message Joined: 14 Feb 04 Posts: 1817 Credit: 262,693,308 RAC: 44 |
I agree with Bob. To most other species, what we consider as good or evil simply comes down to a matter of survival. When times are good there is room for magnanimity, but when times are bad or when the hunt is on for a mate, it's everyone for themselves. T.A. |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30608 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
Sounds like there is general agreement that good and evil don't exist without man. |
musicplayer Send message Joined: 17 May 10 Posts: 2430 Credit: 926,046 RAC: 0 |
> Can good and evil exist without man? > Simple question. Is man a requirement for good and evil to exist? That was Gary Charpentier's words. If we assume that both good and evil exist, this would be based on an assumption about religion and faith and its existence beyond our own beliefs. Religion is all about moral and ethics. If you commit a crime like stealing a car, such a thing is not necessarily for neither the good or evil - at least not all the time. In order to prevent such things to happen, we have laws which prohibits such acts and possibly results in punishment in return. For those who do not believe in religion, there are not supposed to be laws which tells what to do or not to do when it comes to the same moral and ethics. For some reason such people can still be good scientists though and able to carry out great work as well as many other things as well. Such people are neither capable of believing in neither a God as well as any devils which may be on the loose and lurking around in the streets. |
Bob DeWoody Send message Joined: 9 May 10 Posts: 3387 Credit: 4,182,900 RAC: 10 |
> For those who do not believe in religion, there are not supposed to be laws which tells what to do or not to do when it comes to the same moral and ethics. For some reason such people can still be good scientists though and able to carry out great work as well as many other things as well. Such people are neither capable of believing in neither a God as well as any devils which may be on the loose and lurking around in the streets. Not believing in God does not mean an atheist does not believe in right and wrong or morals. I think most atheists still have a sense of right and wrong. I actually think there is a strong need for religion in the world as long as it is not a vehicle for hatred and world dominance. Bob DeWoody My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events. |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30608 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
Christian principles ? Do you mean Cuneiform Law upon which most [western] moral codes are patterned? |
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