RE: There is good in all of us

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There is good in all of us

in philosophy •  8 years ago 

It seems like you are making two different points here. 1) that evil is a social construct that people use to label and expel others that they either disagree with, fear, or otherwise hate. I think this is pretty clearly true.

It does not follow that evil isn't real, or that all its usage in social language is bullshit. Society needs ways to protect itself, and social ostrisation is one of those. How many people would impulsively do great harm if there was no threat of being branded and removed from society? In many ways it is the greatest deterrent we have.

I agree that the modern world has a hang up on "the other" that should be closely examined, but that doesn't mean that evil doesn't exist or is useless.

Anyhow, good posts. I enjoyed reading.

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Great, thanks for commenting! I really appreciate your opinions!

I agree that society and our personal lives need tools to protect ourselves. We use tons of different ways to protect ourselves such as, labeling others, putting faith into powers stronger than ourselves, physical barriers, and other tools. I agree that there are people who do not fit within these norms. I agree that they need evil to protect their beliefs and ways of life. And this isn't a swift change. We have always used these tool in conjunction with evil or creating another group of people to make more people move towards these tools.

But we have the power to change our society, help change other's and to be more encompassing of everyone. I believe there is a solution, but I don't feel that labeling others is the ultimate goal. We should just perhaps understand that there isn't such thing as pure evil or people who spontaneously turn evil. There are mental disabilities, there are cultures that tell people different things, there are parents who are misinformed. We should address these issues instead of moving further away from these issues and pretending that they are no longer affecting us.

  ·  8 years ago (edited)

Thank you! You summed up the point very succinctly.
I gather that @ungratfulchump would agree with that from the latest post which clarifies the original post: Evil does exist, but that doesn't mean we should cast out evil people - or we would all be cast out.

As Paul put it:

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but enjoy the company of the lowly. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone.…
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. -- Romans 12:17-21

Evil exists due to our standards. And that shouldn't mean we need to cast them out to resolve the issue. But one thing I think you and I will have different views is that we can also change the standards as well as how we understand people to help everyone. I assume you will not believe in this since you apparently gather your morals from god. But if nothing else, hopefully we can all understand that everyone gets to one point or another over time. They are not evil from the start. They build up that evil for reasons, and we should address them. Thanks for still talking with me and my craziness. :D