Is evil always "bad" !?

Alright, I can see your thinking much better now. And yes, that does make a good deal of sense, that having evil intent does somehow corrupt the person or their soul. However, people often have evil intent or ill intent and don't act upon it. I can have road rage and want to WTFpwn everyone on Highway 17, but I will never realize that intent, and it does not constitute as an evil act in the strictest sense, because it does not effect others in society. We recognize as outsiders another's evil by their actions, not their inner thoughts to which we aren't able to perceive and evaluate.

Originally posted by Wesker
Alright, I can see your thinking much better now. And yes, that does make a good deal of sense, that having evil intent does somehow corrupt the person or their soul. However, people often have evil intent or ill intent and don't act upon it. I can have road rage and want to WTFpwn everyone on Highway 17, but I will never realize that intent, and it does not constitute as an evil act in the strictest sense, because it does not effect others in society. We recognize as outsiders another's evil by their actions, not their inner thoughts to which we aren't able to perceive and evaluate.

I am part of my environment and I cannot separate myself from that. Each of us is a part of our immediate environment. We communicate is more ways then just words. We are only now beginning to understand how complicated body language is. Everything from the way you stand, talk and how you use your face communicates something to other people. So, if I corrupt myself, I corrupt the environment around me and when that personal environment interacts with the personal environment of other people, they are effected by my corruption.

If you have road rage and control it, other people at some level can sense it. I’m not talking about supernatural, but the way you drive and look will tell how you feel. Other people will pick up on this although they my not realize it, but they will react.

I don't agree with that. I could be on the other end of this computer with all the evil intent in the world, but if I don't post anything or see anyone, how can it change anyone's reactions.

Originally posted by Wesker
I don't agree with that. I could be on the other end of this computer with all the evil intent in the world, but if I don't post anything or see anyone, how can it change anyone's reactions.

Not through a computer. 😆 The other person has to be near you or see you. Don't be silly. 🙄

However, you change yourself when you have evil thoughts.

No I don't. I sit in the same pants. Seriously.

lol

I beleieve this has already been stated, but just in case...Evil is a point of view. A bankrobber serving 25 years in a fed joint may consider his jailers evil. Especially if if he had what he considered to be a "good reason" for robbing a bank, though most of us would vehemently argue there is no such thing (Daughter needs expensive surgery, about to lose the family home, etc...).

Take a look at the concept of revenge. Most people I've come across consider revenge to be evil, or more specifically, a sin under the umbrella of what their religion teaches. But there is also a small # of us who view revege as a sort of universal balancer...the end result of causality, to which we are all slaves. To quote some famous physicist "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction". Certainly one cannot be seen as evil, or having performed an evil act it's done in the name of revenge... 😈

I don't think arguing causality is really the way to determine the absoluteness of evil. The term itself implies it is absolute. Evil is not defined as "sometimes good" or "subjective viewpoints on the morality of human actions". Also, don't confuse things that are simply "bad" or "unfortunate" with real evil.

"I don't think arguing causality is really the way to determine the absoluteness of evil."

I agree 100%. I was arguing that revenge is the result of causality, in which case revenge wouldn't always be evil. Since revenge is generally considered an evil thing, my logic to answer the original ? of the thread would be no, evil is not always bad.

We all think about revenge against someone some time in our life. Thinking about revenge is a part of the anger process. Seeking revenge is another matter.

Well, I always assumed that "evil" by definition has to be "bad" ...if it exists, wqhich it doesn't.

Originally posted by Bardock42
Well, I always assumed that "evil" by definition has to be "bad" ...if it exists, wqhich it doesn't.

All evil things are bad, but not all bad things are evil.

While bad can be a matter of perception (Specifically, bad consequences), evil itself focuses more on the intent and actions following the intent than the actual consequences. Calling the death of a patient "evil" when the intent and actions were meant to save and thus be "good" is just misusing the term.

Originally posted by Wesker
All evil things are bad, but not all bad things are evil.

While bad can be a matter of perception (Specifically, bad consequences), evil itself focuses more on the intent and actions following the intent than the actual consequences. Calling the death of a patient "evil" when the intent and actions were meant to save and thus be "good" is just misusing the term.

Evil does not exist without Good. Therefore all things that are good have some element of evil and all things evil have some element of good.

Yen and Yang

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Evil does not exist without Good. Therefore all things that are good have some element of evil and all things evil have some element of good.

Yen and Yang

Warmth does not exist without cold. Therefore all things that are cold have some element of warmth and all things warm have some element of cold.

Tall does not exist without short. Therefore all things that are short have some element of tall and all things tall have some element of short.

Lies do not exist without truth. Therefore all things that are truth have some element of lies, and all lies have some element of truth.

Congrats, that logic flops on its face.

Originally posted by Wesker
Warmth does not exist without cold. Therefore all things that are cold have some element of warmth and all things warm have some element of cold.

Tall does not exist without short. Therefore all things that are short have some element of tall and all things tall have some element of short.

Lies do not exist without truth. Therefore all things that are truth have some element of lies, and all lies have some element of truth.

Congrats, that logic flops on its face.

Smart does not exist without stupid. Therefore all things that are smart have some element of stupid and all things stupid have some element of smart. 😆

That saying is probably correct too.

Originally posted by Wesker
That saying is probably correct too.

At least you have a good sense of humor about it. 😆

That's just a nifty little logical argument that happens to be more or less true based on what I've seen in life. I've always said that there really aren't any stupid people; they just are smart in different ways.

Without evil,there could be no good.

Originally posted by K.Diddy
Without evil,there could be no good.

No wai!!!

Seriously.

It boils down to your defenition of "bad" or "evil".