Discourse on Good and Evil

My understanding of “evil” in the world stands as it is now, that “good” and “evil” are simply points of view. Both concepts are generally the outcome of some type of conflict, and “good” and “evil” determined by the victor. On the flip side, the looser also determines their own version of “good” and “evil”, generally the opposing view of the victor.

Another view I have always held of “good” and “evil” is the simple fact that every nation, culture, religion etc. needs an enemy. The enemy is the “evil” opposite of “good” in all ways. For example, the Hebrew (Abrahamic) religions have God (Jehovah, Allah, or Jesus) as the “good” force. What seams to have helped solidify the basic belief system itself was the addition of Satan as the “evil” element, the opposite (though not equal) of God. Evil became a scapegoat for all that was wrong with the world. Without the “evil” element, there would be no explanation for the wrongs of the world, and therefore no hope of their ending. Creating an “evil” adversary for God helped to create hope that one day Satan would be defeated, thus ending suffering and pain in this world.

The theodicie of the Taoists and Confuciusists, with its conformity to “natural” or “cosmic” laws, seams not only most logical, but also most practical. There is no strict adherence to any exact moral system; instead morals are dictated by the situation. What is right may not be the best choice; however it may be the only choice as well as the correct one.

Without any strict moral code to follow, at least no specific “laws” which are not to be broken, life is not only less complicated, but also more livable. In contrast to the Hebrew commandments, with their strict, impractical, and in some cases impossible to follow laws, this type of theodicie is more forgiving of wrongs and much more practical.

It is not possible to control weather or not you find your neighbors wife to be attractive and wish to sleep with her. The very nature of this type of law makes it impossible to follow. In the Taoist theodicie, finding a woman attractive is a compliment to the husband, not a sin punishable by death.

In my own personal experience, I have determined right from wrong by my own moral standards. Things that would to the general population be abhorrent, such as murder, rape, or child molestation I also find abhorrent. To myself, the general rule of thumb is that if it can be considered “rude”, meaning that is another person will find it objectional, it is probably wrong.

On the other hand, with no religious background or upbringing, I also do not hold many of the prejudges that other hold. I believe that any person should be allowed to do to themselves or a willing partner, whatever they see fit.

Abortion is morally acceptable so long as the expectant mother-not-to-be has made that choice herself. Homosexuality and heterosexuality are irrelevant factors, and weather or not sexual preference is a choice or a predetermined condition does not enter into the equation. Two consenting adults can do with their bodies as they see fit. The color of one’s skin or their national origin means nothing to me. And why should it?

Admittedly, with no religious upbringing, and therefor no all-powerful deity to punish me, I have not always made the right choices; however, on the other hand I also take responsibility for those actions I have made, and do not blame Satan or another “evil” force for my own misjudgments.

My understanding of right and wrong has changed in some ways over the past few years; however this has mostly been a cultural adjustment dealing with my own personal work ethic. For example, when I first joined the Navy, I saw nothing wrong with cutting corners or cheating my way around things if it benefited me. Now, I hold to a different ethic. Now I believe that the job comes first and whatever it takes to get the job done in a safe and efficient way is what is needed. No cutting corners, no cheating, and stay late if that is what is needed.

Also, as a teenager, I saw nothing wrong with what we can call “rudeness”. I didn’t mind insulting people, and in fact thought that that was sometimes the best way to get a point across. I have since changed that view, and now look at that more in the Christian view of “do unto other as you would have them do unto you”. I have found that if you treat a person with respect, you will more often than not be treated the same way.

"Is something right because God commands it or does he command it because it is right?” A question akin to “if a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” It is a question that by its very nature is unanswerable.

I tend to look at these kinds of questions in a Christian light because that is the religion I know most about, so I will assume that Plato, when he discusses this, is talking about a Christian God even though he himself was polytheistic.

If something is right because God commands it, then God is omnipotent and in control. However, this answer has been used to justify some of the most horrendous crimes in history.

Also, if something is right because god commands it, could that not also mean that if god commands something else, it is just as right? For example, what if God had set forth in his commandment “Thout shalt kill those unlike you”, would that have been equally as right as “Thout shalt not commit murder”? It was right that God turned Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt for looking back at Sodom, however, would it have been just as right if God had instead killed her family in front of her as punishment?

If on the other hand, God commands something because it is right, it suggests that God did not have control over that something, and now decrees that the something is good after the fact. This implies a God who is not all-powerful and merely whiteness to the universe and not the driving force.

Since if something happens, it must be in accordance with the Divine Plan of God, and because the Divine Plan of God includes everything that has ever happened and ever will happen, then the correct answer to this question is “something is right because God commands it”. In this same direction we can conclude that everything is right because everything has been commanded by God when he devised the Divine Plan. (Not withstanding the question of free will, which seams to me to negate the Divine Plan theory because if one truly had free will, then God could not predict their actions. If he can predict their actions, then free will does not exist because in predicting their actions he is still guiding the outcome in some way.)