Humans: Good or Evil?

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
That's a big "merely" (the second one).

In the first place, people learn right from wrong in childhood.

Originally posted by Halitose
Right and wrong are what your society says they are, right?

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
I disagree. "Evil is the active springing from Energy".

Originally posted by KneverKnight
Or, are good and evil man-made concepts?

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
I disagree. "Evil is the active springing from Energy".

Originally posted by Halitose
In some tribes in Papua New Guinea they have a culture of stealing. Children are raised and taught how to steal. As stealing is part of their society, there's nothing wrong with it. Where does this fit into your "energy"?

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Who do they steal from? Each other, or outsiders?

Originally posted by Halitose
The tribe I'm talking about stole from outsiders... I'm not too sure if they stole from each other.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Standard tribal mores, then. Similar to baboons, Romanies, or Minoan Greeks. If intra-tribal theft was countenanced, it'd be different.

If people alone label what is called good and evil; than it is only
people’s current personal tastes that matter on what we call
good and evil today, it may change tomorrow. Reason being we
can change our minds on what is good and evil! Which would
mean that something once called good can now be really called
evil; we after all are the only ones that have a say in what is
right and wrong, good and evil. We could also have a mixture,
what is good for you may not be good for me and so on.

If there is a higher power that has a say in how good and evil are
defined, than that higher power would be able to limit our abilities
to define them as well, and stand as a judge in our actions and
choices.
Kelly

Originally posted by Halitose
So have our tribal mores merely changed to social mores? And are they relative to the society which you are in?

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
I'd say that's a resounding yes.

Originally posted by Halitose
Okay. I just have a problem tying up your definition where for the individual good = pleasure and bad = pain, then with society, some people have to act directly the opposite for the greater good, i.e. collectively more people will have pleasure from the deed, but for some individuals this = pain.

Originally posted by KellyJay
Pleasure we like, pain we don't...so good and evil by human
standards is a personal taste, at least on a very simplistic shallow
level.
Kelly

Originally posted by Halitose
In a word "personal-utilitarianism".

But I agree with you that this is very simplistic, because what about a man with a family to care for? Will his decisions not also have an element of pleasure for the whole family?

That is where I personally can't see people merely acting on their own pleasure. Where does looking out for you fellow man come from? Morals? Principles? These things generally don't give the individual much pleasure.