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Where does this great evil come from?

Nonsensical

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:hug:

It's okay. I feel bad, too. I shouldn't have called you out in your own thread.

I mean, you were looking for a particular response and no one was getting it. That could be frustrating.

I suppose looking back now, it seems like what you were really asking was, "What kind of things do we see as evil, and what is the purpose of it?" rather than "What causes us to see things as evil?" I mean, the latter could easily be construed as being a frame of mind, but it doesn't tell us what it means.

So since we mostly responded with sophism about the nature of good and evil when you wanted an answer that was relevent in context of the assumption that the concept of evil had inherent meaning, it seemed like bullshit.

Yeah, I didn't really give you guys anything to work with. Maybe I was looking for some reassurance? To find out of I was alone with these thoughts or not..
 

Winds of Thor

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Because it's assholes like you who fuck up the world and drink and drink while there are a million thirsty.

But in the end, they win, and you lose.


Well if people would move to WHERE THE FOOD IIIIIIS, they could EAT!
 
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Ginkgo

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Athenian200

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Yeah, I didn't really give you guys anything to work with. Maybe I was looking for some reassurance? To find out of I was alone with these thoughts or not..

Well, I don't think you're alone.

When I read your OP, and the things that bothered you, the first things that came to mind were, "Greed and lack of empathy/sympathy."

I mean, I've been harmed by those things as well. I think we all have. I think that business often promotes those values. I mean, if you want to get ahead in business, and sometimes even survive in business, you have to be competitive and willing to step on people (and yet good enough at making sure that you don't piss off anyone you can't crush far enough to prevent from becoming a threat). We're all encouraged to be good at business... so in a sense... we're all encouraged to be selfish and evil.

Think about capitalism itself, even. Rational self-interest, the weak pushed the bottom and the strong rise to the top. Does that philosophy sound like it promotes GOOD? Not to me. It promotes prosperity, perhaps, but it certainly doesn't seem to promote concern for others, or any kind of fairness.

I just thought that was too simplistic of an answer, because it's very similar to what communists believe.
 

Nonsensical

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Well, I don't think you're alone.

When I read your OP, and the things that bothered you, the first things that came to mind were, "Greed and lack of empathy/sympathy."

I mean, I've been harmed by those things as well. I think we all have. I think that business often promotes those values. I mean, if you want to get ahead in business, and sometimes even survive in business, you have to be competitive and willing to step on people (and yet good enough at making sure that you don't piss off anyone you can't crush far enough to prevent from becoming a threat). We're all encouraged to be good at business... so in a sense... we're all encouraged to be selfish and evil.

Think about capitalism itself, even. Rational self-interest, the weak pushed the bottom and the strong rise to the top. Does that philosophy sound like it promotes GOOD? Not to me. It promotes prosperity, perhaps, but it certainly doesn't seem to promote concern for others, or any kind of fairness.

I just thought that was too simplistic of an answer, because it's very similar to what communists believe.

As cliche as it sounds, the basis of all of our problems is the ego.

From that stems all of what you and I are both talking about.
 
G

Ginkgo

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Well, I don't think you're alone.

When I read your OP, and the things that bothered you, the first things that came to mind were, "Greed and lack of empathy/sympathy."

I mean, I've been harmed by those things as well. I think we all have. I think that business often promotes those values. I mean, if you want to get ahead in business, and sometimes even survive in business, you have to be competitive and willing to step on people (and yet good enough at making sure that you don't piss off anyone you can't crush far enough to prevent from becoming a threat). We're all encouraged to be good at business... so in a sense... we're all encouraged to be selfish and evil.

Think about capitalism itself, even. Rational self-interest, the weak pushed the bottom and the strong rise to the top. Does that philosophy sound like it promotes GOOD? Not to me. It promotes prosperity, perhaps, but it certainly doesn't seem to promote concern for others, or any kind of fairness.

I just thought that was too simplistic of an answer, because it's very similar to what communists believe.

And this was why I flunked out of economics. Not because I couldn't do it, but because I didn't want to. I was somehow morally opposed to many of the suppositions within the philosophies of Mixed/Free Market. :doh:

That was off-topic. Sorry. Continue.
 

Athenian200

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As cliche as it sounds, the basis of all of our problems is the ego.

From that stems all of what you and I are both talking about.

Don't people require the ego to function?

Hmm... you know, now that I think about it, if any person lacked the capacity for evil, they would also be unable to perceive it in others, and thus be more vulnerable to it. The truth is that evil may well be stronger than good in the material world. It's no wonder that many people dream of an inverted world where evil is punished and the are righteous rewarded, and believe in it so strongly as to make it a religion.

They need that world, because the real one, even their own ego, runs counter to what most people think is beautiful and good at their core.

So in other words, we HAVE to be evil enough to be aware of the evil that happens to us. So the answer is that the evil comes from our own instincts, and from our need to be aware of the instincts of others.
 
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Ginkgo

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What is the difference between "for the benefit of" and "on behalf of"?

Our actions represent our desires but that doesn't mean they are all selfish.

You are correct. It is not so clear cut. However, there will always be some seed (small or large) of selfishness within your conscious actions. That was my point.
 

Lady_X

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well it is my opinion that you don't learn a thing from perfection...there would be no reason to be here. life in the physical is meant to be imperfect. you need tests to define you. you need ugliness to inspire beauty...darkness to desire light...that's my opinion babe...and that to me is the point.
 

Poki

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The fact that you already know that at your young age, is a good sign.

The ego only becomes a problem when you dont know how to work with it. We can both stroke our ego and be good at the same time. If you dont know how to do this you are stuck satisfying your ego at the expense of others.
 

Litvyak

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I don't consider myself earth-bound or shortsighted... but I still don't understand wtf we're talking about.
 
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