Can good and evil exist without man?

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Profile Gary Charpentier Crowdfunding Project Donor*Special Project $75 donorSpecial Project $250 donor
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Message 1309086 - Posted: 23 Nov 2012, 2:28:12 UTC - in response to Message 1308992.  

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.

I do not believe you must invoke religion to find ethics or morality. (Morality is a loaded word as to most it implies a god. So I use ethics. My dictionary says both are study of right and wrong or good and evil.) I realize that many who believe in religion can not fathom that ethics could exist without invoking a god to define it. I will point out a rule from a godless person; Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself - Confucius. Or perhaps another: The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one - Spock. It should be obvious that invoking a god is not a requirement to have ethics.

If you believe that God must exist for there to be right and wrong or good and evil, asking if it exists without man is moot. God could have chosen to never create man.

If you accept that it is man who defines right and wrong or good and evil then it is a question if they exist without man. Perhaps in some ET civilization.

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Message 1309115 - Posted: 23 Nov 2012, 5:54:47 UTC

For me the paired terms good and evil imply some kind of intention judged under a moral or ethics code. So they require an abstract judgement and as I dont know of any other species able to make that kind of abstractions then good and evil wont exist without men.

If the terms were good and bad, then, instead of intention it gives me the idea of convenience or achivement, and while that's something relative, it doesnt imply a judgement: beeing hunted by a predator will be a bad thing for the prey and a good thing for the hunter, no matter if there is man there to judge.

(Disclaimer: English its not my main languaje and then it could be that Im giving wrong/mixed meannings to the words good, bad and evil...but anyway I think that the concepts are still valid)
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Profile Bob DeWoody
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Message 1309418 - Posted: 23 Nov 2012, 19:43:51 UTC

Nah, I think this horse has been sufficiently beat to death.
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.
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Message boards : Politics : Can good and evil exist without man?


 
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