Poll: A question about evil...

[PureChaos]

it depends on perspective, if a person does something, some will view it as evil, others will view it as good intention. one persons terrorist is another persons freedom fighter

 

[Break]

evil is a bit too subjective because there are things we do today that people a couple centuries ago would think were evil

Isn't that supposed to be the other way around? I remember the Aztecs liked them human sacrifice rituals. To appease the Gods, apparently.

It goes both ways. They sacrifice virgins to appease the wind, we forsake the gods on a daily basis and enjoy free love. We do "evil", they do "evil", we're all going to hell together.

I dislike that word. It's been used to mean far too many things in far too many contexts to mean anything, and the result is nonsense. If you're going to say something's against the law, call it illegal; if you're going to say something's disgusting, call it immoral; if you're going to say something goes against your religion, call it evil. Don't use it as a general-purpose adjective for something you don't like.

Would you disagree that tearing out a person's heart and eating it, forcing that person to watch as their life fades away is evil? Not all things are relative, and indeed the things that are relative are not the things I am talking about.

Pff. Alright, I'll play. Yes, I would disagree that tearing someone's heart out and chowing down while they watch is necessarily "evil". To say that some things aren't relative is to ignore every possible variable a situation can have. Just because you said "not all things are relative", I can now make up some completely ludicrous situation that results in human sacrifice being a pleasant, happy thing for all involved, and you have to attest that it's still "evil". Or you can retract that little statement. Your choice.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

If a person knowingly does something they consider to be evil, without extenuating factors, that makes them evil.

Otherwise, they're just amoral.

Think of it as cheating in a game. You can know the code, and even enter the code without cheating. It's when you deliberately enter the code for your own jollies that you're cheating.

Unfortunately, unlawful and evil are often mistaken for each other whereas evil laws are far more prevalent.

 

[Syntax Error]

I can't believe no one has picked up on that Michael Stone comment I made a little while ago. His scale measures the psychological state of mind of an "evil" being. One of the defining factors is how sane the person is when he's doing the "evil" deed. Am I the only one who watched "Most Evil" at least once here?

 

[Chickenlittle]

No. I am inherently good, but sometimes do evil things for a good cause. For instance, in games, I murder good guards because I must not be discovered while on a quest to save the kingdom.

 

[Johnn Johnston]

Everyone has outbursts sometimes. A vicar, for instance, might find his wife cheating on him and kill the man she was with. He would still be a good person because when he committed the act he was acting out of character.

 

[Easykill]

Would you disagree that tearing out a person's heart and eating it, forcing that person to watch as their life fades away is evil? Not all things are relative, and indeed the things that are relative are not the things I am talking about.

Everyone on this thread would agree that that sucks and is evil. But there are people who would say it's not evil. Hell, there have been times in human history where it was common practice. Were a person to do it, they would most likely think "I'm NOT evil." We feel comfortable calling them crazy, but then you have to define crazy. Is crazy evil? It never ends.

To me, the definition of evil is different for all people.

That is the definition: Evil has no definition.

As I said before, two people can look at a word and think of two different things.

The issue regarding the definition of evil is intriuging to me. I can tell you with complete certainty what makes a person evil, but not what evil is; I think this is becuase "evil" is a judge of a person's worth.

Let me use another example to explain what I mean by evil, one that isn't so ambiguous; Those of you who chose to be the most evil individuals you doulc be, you knew what you were doing was evil (or at the very least wrong) correct? What, though, made what you were doing evil?

Having actually read this thread now; I need to comment on some of this. Starting at the beginning; that's sadistic, I could never like the person who did it. However, I wouldn't consider it evil, my morals are different than most people's, and I will not hold people to them. Morals are a compass you should use to govern yourself, it is not a tool to be used when judging people.

I wouldn't even agree that's crazy. We as a society are way to comfortable with taking personality types we don't understand and labelling them as crazy; it's not really them, it's that there's some problem up there in their brain, now lets stuff them full of chemicals until they're like everyone else. Granted, there are cases where that's actually true, but not always.

As I said though, morals are a personal compass; and when things outside you like religion have too much influence on them, it can lead to conflict. In that case, people could do things outside their code and think they are evil. Perhaps that is the true definition of evil, when someone considers something evil, thinks that evil is a bad thing, and does it anyway. Not many of those though.

I'm quite curious what this thread will reveal however, I like to collect souls (perspectives); or what pieces of them I can get.

 

[Jursa]

I guess that depends on how evil we're talkin. A punch in someone's face out of frustration evil or taking over the world evil?

 

[Sirisaxman]

Evil is a matter of perspective, and many times evil is necessary for the greater good.

 

[samsprinkle]

evil does not exist, evil is a term used by christians and fanatics. So if evil does not exist, then how can you do something evil?

 

[samsprinkle]

evil does not exist, evil is a term used by christians and fanatics. So if evil does not exist, then how can you do something evil?

Fool, evil exists in all things.

And to answer the OP question.
No. Evil must be in the (wo)man's heart. Otherwise it's just a poser .

thats rediculous. if evil existed that would mean that good existed, and there would have to be a middle ground, and what if evil to one was good to another, then it would be a pardox. then god would be angry, but if he exist there must be a devil, but there is no devil so there can't be a god becaue there is no middle ground there. the only good is in our hearts and thus evil is there too, but ur heart is a lump of blood and flesh, so can it really be evil or good?

 

[tobyornottoby]

I say Yes

I had a discussion with someone a while ago, where we discussed a housecat preying on a bird. I said the housecat had no neccessity to kill and eat the bird, so it was not cool, whereas the other person said killing birds was part of being a cat, so it was cool. Where it ended, was that it seemed that I judged people by their actions (uncool action -> uncool person) whereas he judged people by their overall... being (uncool action by cool person -> still cool person)

Does a man who kills in a time of crisis have a black heart?

If the killing is 'evil', then yes. However, the killing might not be evil itself, thus not making the person evil

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I had a discussion with someone a while ago, where we discussed a housecat preying on a bird. I said the housecat had no neccessity to kill and eat the bird, so it was not cool, whereas the other person said killing birds was part of being a cat, so it was cool.

An interesting thing is that cats that have never seen a bird have been shown to chase birds in their dreams.
So, in your opinion, cats are born uncool. With that I have to disagree, and so does Artemis.

 

[tobyornottoby]

I had a discussion with someone a while ago, where we discussed a housecat preying on a bird. I said the housecat had no neccessity to kill and eat the bird, so it was not cool, whereas the other person said killing birds was part of being a cat, so it was cool.

An interesting thing is that cats that have never seen a bird have been shown to chase birds in their dreams.
So, in your opinion, cats are born uncool. With that I have to disagree, and so does Artemis.

Woah 'cool'
But are cats born as housecats?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I had a discussion with someone a while ago, where we discussed a housecat preying on a bird. I said the housecat had no neccessity to kill and eat the bird, so it was not cool, whereas the other person said killing birds was part of being a cat, so it was cool.

An interesting thing is that cats that have never seen a bird have been shown to chase birds in their dreams.
So, in your opinion, cats are born uncool. With that I have to disagree, and so does Artemis.

Woah 'cool'
But are cats born as housecats?

Cats are born to take advantage of every situation they have, so yes.

Sorry Artemis, you wanted feeding?...

 

[Fanboy]

People who are evil will do evil things, but people who do evil things aren't always evil.

 

[Beowulf DW]

Whether or not a person is evil depends on a staggering amount of factors.

What is evil? More importantly, what is a person? Intent? Choice? Thought? Action?

The "evilness" of a person is hard to really pin down mostly because there are so many different things that go into this consideration.