Defining evil

[Night FM]

I'm curious how others would attempt to define evil. I think that some particularly abominable acts are commonsensically evil, however defining evil in more complicated terms (e.x. such as whether evil is an "entity" or sorts, or simply destructive behavior done by humans) is more difficult.

[CharonY]

A quickish read on the topic that might help to organize ideas https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/concept-evil/

 

[iNow]

3 minutes ago, Night FM said:

I'm curious how others would attempt to define evil.

I wouldn’t. It’s far too broad, subjective, and ambiguous to be useful in any tangible way. Experience and reality are far too nuanced to paint with such a ridiculously broad simplistic brush, and the d-evil is in the details. 

[TheVat]

Might help engagement, as a newbie, to focus on one topic rather than starting a dozen new threads in two days?   Also, the search function is your friend, as regards several of your topics, where previous discussions have already been started on them.  Take your time, pace yourself, learn what interests folks at SFN.

[Peterkin]

Evil is that which humans recognize as any deliberate act or intention that destroys people and their communities. 

1 hour ago, TheVat said:

Take your time, pace yourself, learn what interests folks at SFN.

Can't. He's a drive-by-shooter, not a warrior. He'll blitz every forum he can join under different handles with the same predetermined list of biblical topics, paste walls'o'text everywhere and then he'll disappear.  

[dimreepr]

11 hours ago, Night FM said:

I'm curious how others would attempt to define evil.

Evil depends on which side of the cutlery one is viewing thing's.

Quote

I think that some particularly abominable acts are commonsensically evil, however defining evil in more complicated terms (e.x. such as whether evil is an "entity" or sorts, or simply destructive behavior done by humans) is more difficult.

 Would you consider yourself evil for eating a battery farmed chicken?

The difficult thing about this as it relates to humans, is to distance yourself from, so called, atrocities and judge the perp as a human, just like you and me.

Evil is just an excuse to do evil, therefore from a rational POV it doesn't exist; but politically... 😣

[Sensei]

10 hours ago, TheVat said:

 Also, the search function is your friend, as regards several of your topics, where previous discussions have already been started on them. 

You suggest he should resurrect old threads. No, thank you. This is not good and welcome behavior. We have enough such newbies who resurrect 10+ year old threads when no one who participated in them is on the forum anymore.

 

[LuckyR]

On 8/29/2024 at 7:35 PM, iNow said:

I wouldn’t. It’s far too broad, subjective, and ambiguous to be useful in any tangible way. Experience and reality are far too nuanced to paint with such a ridiculously broad simplistic brush, and the d-evil is in the details. 

Exactly. But evil is not only subjective, but it is also relative. Thus any "definitions" are going to be extremely personal and not universal.