Good And Evil

What is Good and Evil?

To act selfishly or unselfishly?
To act according to YourReligion? or against?
To be Cruel or Kind?

Evil is taking advantage of another person for your own benefit. Good is sacrificing yourself for the benefit of another. -- Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_Church).

So it's ok to take advantage of people for someone else's benefit?

: Probably not, because it would be evil for the beneficiary to take advantage like that. Moreover, if a group or one member of it takes advantage of a non-member, this is evil on the group level. Same for racial-level or national-level. So I'd say, just to be on the safe side, don't take advantage of other people but try to benefit them. -- EdPoor

Clever is making everyone think you are sacrificing when you are really taking advantage. -- PhlIp

Evil is treating people as things - Granny Weatherwax (TerryPratchett). Pretty close, IMO

A misquote - it's his (excellent) definition of sin.

[See game, BlackAndWhite.]

Another good definition of "sin" comes from RobertHeinlein via LazarusLong:

: "Sin lies only in hurting other people unnecessarily. All other 'sins' are invented nonsense. (Hurting yourself is not sinful - just stupid)."

I would extend this further to say that "evil" is knowingly, intentionally acting in a sinful manner. -- MikeSmith

Heinlein's quote begs the question. When is hurting someone necessary or unnecessary?

Hurting someone could be necessary if you're acting in self-defense - the only way to stop them from hurting you is to hurt them. That's not a sin, so long as it really was the last resort.

This too has problems: if someone is throwing pebbles at you, are you justified in knocking them about? If it causes serious injury? Permanent? Where is the line drawn?

According to Heinlein, it depends on whether it was necessary to knock them down. Necessary according to who? Heinlein has some good ideas, but he never was much of a philosopher...

Is "good and "evil" the sum of our species experiences and knowledge? Would two babies on an island contemplate good and evil without a teacher? -- PeteBook

They will not survive without a teacher.

Not good tests:

You do something you consider good and everybody around you or involved in the doing are happy with how things came out.
You do something you consider good or evil and someone agrees with you.

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