An example from the novel that is somewhat opposite to the previous example helps to confirm this interpretation. Glozelle, a high-ranking individual on the evil side of the war that takes place in the novel (these sides are clearly drawn in the frame provided by the author, and need not enter into the debate here), actually turns out to be somewhat helpful to the good side when he betrays and kills his master, the evil king and general Miraz. His intention is not to do away with this evil ruler and so restore good, however, but rather it is simply to take power of Miraz's former dominions himself, and to carry out the battle against his opponents. Killing Miraz is definitely considered a good act in the book -- it is one of the primary goals the good side is striving for -- but it is Glozelle's intentions rather…...
mlaReferences
Dictionary.com (2011). Evil. Accessed 4 March 2011. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/evil
Dictionary.com (2011). Good. Accessed 4 March 2011. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/good
Johnson, R. (2008). Kant's moral philosophy. Accessed 4 March 2011. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/
If all falls are "lucky," then we truly live in the best of all possible worlds.
While we may avoid accusations of Candidean naivete by announcing that "God" must not exist, this all-or-nothing stance lacks rigor. The persistence of evil is incompatible with certain ideas of God, but in itself this only indicates that our ideas are imperfectly refined. At its best, this approach deepens our definitions of the divine and how it interacts with both our logical systems and our lives.
Perhaps, for example, God is perfectly benevolent but has voluntarily accepted constraints on divine omnipotence in order to express this perfect love in a more sophisticated way -- we could call one such constraint "free will" and assign it responsibility for various forms of evil. Or perhaps God's omnipotence, extent, and/or benevolence, while profound, are still approaching perfection, in which case evil reveals the as-yet-unfinished process of refining human…...
Evil
The free will defense suggests that God permits, but does not cause evil. Therefore, it is possible to live in a universe in which good and evil continually coexist. Human beings are blessed with the ability to make a choice that can further the objectives of God and good, or to promote the interests of evil. Although this view is logically coherent, there are clear objections to it.
One objection is that God has nothing at all to do with evil, and human beings, made in God's image, likewise have nothing to do with evil. Free will is therefore irrelevant and in fact negated. There is no such thing as free will, according to this point-of-view. All human beings have is a fate that has been pre-determined by God. Using this objection, it is easy to see how the human being is portrayed as a passive recipient of life rather than…...
mlaReferences
"Introduction to Philosophical Inquiry." Retrieved online: http://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/hick.html
Speaks, Jeff. "Swinburne's Response to the Problem of Evil." Retrieved online: http://www3.nd.edu/~jspeaks/courses/mcgill/201/swinburne.pdf
Initially St. Augustine favoured the dualistic view that evil was external and separate from the world and mankind that in evident from the Manichean worldview. However, he was later to reject this strict dualism and taker another view of the nature of evil. This was more Platonic and was based on the writings of Plotinus and Porphyry. This refers to the view that evil is a measure and result of our separation from God.
For Augustine, the measure of all existence was God. Instead of the Manichean view that evil existed outside humanity "…as an invasion," he posited the view that evil only existed to the extent that we do not acknowledge and live within God's word and law. ( Augustine Influences Christianity). Stated in another way, evil exists only because mankind refuses to acknowledge God. In essence Augustine defines evil as "…a privation in goodness." (A Brief Response to the…...
mlaWorks cited
A Brief Response to the Problem of Evil. April 22, 2009.
Augustine Influences Christianity. April 22, 2009.
If humans are not the architects of good and evil, then, it is easy to see how a human cannot be wholly good or wholly evil. An architect may be trying to emulate the style of Frank Lloyd right, but his or her work will, ultimately, be different from right's in some ways. The emulating architect will create some aspects of his or her building that are entirely his or her own. In the same way, a person may be emulating the metaphysical creator of good or evil, but he or she will be flawed in some ways, meaning that he or she is not wholly evil or wholly good. Edgar Allen Poe gives a good example of this in his story "The Black Cat." hile the main character commits atrocities to his cat, Pluto, readers are able to find a glimmer of good through his actions before he commits…...
mlaWorks Cited
Brians, Paul et al. "St. Augustine on the Problem of Evil." Washington State University.
18 December 1998. Resources for the Study of World Civilizations. 18 May 2009.
"Evil and Otherness."
Govier, Trudy. "Forgiveness and the Unforgivable." American Philosophical Quarterly.
GOOD VS. EVIL AND CATHY'S OLE
When you come across a fictional character that possesses true evil attributes and has not got a single good bone in his/her body, you are likely to respond in one of the two ways. That is, you would either reject the character terming it too monstrous to be believable or you would view it as a literary device used by the author to highlight his main theme. The first reaction however leads to nothing constructive, on the other hand the second type of response paves way for further and deeper analysis of the writing. This is how we seek to study John Steinbeck's novel "East of Eden" which contains one of the most iniquitous fictional characters in contemporary literature. This character is introduced to us as Catherine Ames "Cathy," who later changes her name to Kate. Cathy's personal attributes are so brutish in nature that…...
mlaReferences
Steinbeck, John. Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics: East of Eden. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1992
As it is typical in good vs. evil combats, the forces of good are initially shown powerless, with no one to help them and with no thought on how to remedy the situation they find themselves in. The Pevensies themselves are unable to reach Caspian and the rest of the Narnians because they constantly come across impediments.
The overall purpose of the heroes in this book is to return purity in a ruined land, this being a reference to how the forces of good ultimately have to defeat the forces of evil and impose their influence over the land, so as for it to become pure once more. As customary for a land conquered by evil, many of those previously devoted to good have lost their faith and are inclined to believe that there is no hope for them. The story can be considered to be a parallel to modern-day…...
"'m not religious, 'm spiritual." Conversely other people state that they dislike the formality of religion, of beliefs and practices, but do believe in God and in some sense of 'higher truth.' This confusion might be best addressed by doing away with the category of religion altogether -- religion is whatever a society defines it to be, and the term has grown so meaningless, people even speak of making golf or music their 'religion' simply because they love these hobbies so much.
Absolute truth
n this postmodern age, the idea of absolute truth has ebbed away. n medieval times, absolute truth for Christians was manifest in Jesus; for some empires the word of a great leader was a manifestation of absolute truth, and for Buddhists, the absence of any 'absolutes' in the world is 'the truth.' Philosophy and science have a more rigorous but also a narrower set of criteria for the…...
mlaIdeally, an ideology should provide believers with moral and practical guidance. But it is easy to hold fast to an ideology, and admit no disagreement. This close-mindedness shuts out the acquisition of new knowledge, and makes the believer less, rather than more functional in the world. An ideology can be comforting, and that sense of comfort can lull us into a sense of false security about the world, and a belief that we alone are correct. An ideology can become an unquestioned dogma, and used to justify horrific acts, as was seen during the attacks of September 11, 2001.
However, not all ideologies are 'bad.' For example, America's core ideology proclaims the importance of individualism, truth, and freedom. Our ideology, like all ideologies, is not universal, but it has provided a positive foundation for U.S. culture and society. Ideologies are sets of assumptions, and some assumptions are required for a society to function. If every person had his or her own unique truth, set of laws, and morals, the result would be chaos.
An ideology should be somewhat limited in its scope but flexible. Because it is a set of beliefs, it should be able to change with a change of historical or life circumstances. It cannot be all things to all people, otherwise it is useless. It must offer some 'glue' to hold the individual's and the community's world together but the glue cannot become so calcified that the ideology is set in stone, and becomes a relic.
What is intrinsic regarding this definition of evil is the value that ressentiment has upon it. Ressentiment is a term widely used by Nietzsche and other philosophers (such as Kierkegaard) to refer to the notion of resentment -- which can take many forms including jealousy and other forms of subjugation -- influencing a particular moral perception. Because the weak were oppressed by and opposed to the depredation of the strong, aristocratic nobles, they classified all they did and all that described them as being morally incorrect of evil.
This concept of ressentiment as applied to the terminology of good and evil that was originally used by the impotent masses (according to Nietzsche), would go on to play a prime role in the development and facilitation of the Christian religion, which the philosopher also believed has had a fundamental influence on the morality of the western world. As denoted earlier, the priestly…...
Conception of the Good
One of the most critical and central aspects to human activity has presumably been the search for a good life and happiness. In attempts to understand and explain the quest for a good life and happiness, various philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Augustine have tried to explain the conception of good. Most of these philosophers have carried out their work in Athens, which is a great city that marked the pinnacle of the careers of these philosophers. Socrates was one of the philosophers from Athens who considered philosophy or the love of wisdom as a sacred path that should not be taken lightly. Plato was Socrates famous student who reconstructed some of Socrates' writings or discussions and describe him as the best of all men. On the contrary, Augustine was a philosopher from North Africa who received Christian education and went through a progression of philosophical…...
mlaWorks Cited:
"Augustine: On Evil." Great Philosophers. Oregon State University, 2002. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. .
Boeree, C.G. "The Ancient Greeks, Part Two: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle." Shippensburg University. C. George Boeree, 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. .
Payne, W.R. "St. Augustine." Bellevue College. W. Russ Payne, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. .
"Plato." Crandall University. Crandall University, 12 Sept. 2012. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. .
Philosophy
Plotinus on Good and Evil
The act of defining what shall be considered Good or Evil is a central part of many philosophies and religions. The subject is often approached with very little rationality and a great deal of rabid sentiment and heavy-handed authoritarianism, as sharp lines between Good and Evil are drawn in the metaphoric sand. It is no coincidence that in the East Good and Evil are shown divided sharply into the two sides of the ying-yang symbol, or that in the West these two have often been imagined as the manifestation of competing spiritual forces (of God and the Devil). Amidst all of this, Plotinus is a refreshing voice precisely because he does not attempt to delineate sharply between the Good and the ill, but rather takes a broad view of the inter-relationship of all things with the divine. To summarize quite brutally: Plotinus believes that the true…...
Evil is PowerPoint?
Business
Author's contact information with further details of collegiate affiliation, etc.
Edward Tufte is not fond of PowerPoint. To say he is not fond of PowerPoint is an understatement. Edward Tufte hates PowerPoint; he firms believes that it is evil. This paper serves as reflection of the PowerPoint and Tufte's attitudes about PowerPoint. I am conflicted in this matter. I both agree with his position and also disagree with his position. Tufte is correct when he states that PowerPoint has the power to change behaviors and institutions. PowerPoint is being used more often in corporate or professional settings as well as in the educational setting. This is both good and bad. He makes a strong point; the skills required to write reports diminish as the use of PowerPoint increases. PowerPoint, he argues makes every assignment turn into a sales pitch.
How Evil is PowerPoint?
In the 21st century, the world is…...
Feminist critics have taken a more positive view of Hulga and a more deflationary view of O'Connor's central meaning. "Nothing in O'Connor quite so flagrantly bears out the feminist theologian Mary Daly's assertion that '[t]he myths and symbols of Christianity are essentially sexist' - which is to say "rapist."(1)…it is the author's strategy in… 'Good Country People' to knock these proud female characters down a notch" (Havird 1). David Havird calls the loss of Hulga's leg and, symbolically her intellect, a kind of rape. Given the way that O'Connor frames the tale, O'Connor views it as a kind of deserved 'rape.' Manley Pointer's name supports this reading -- his manliness and taking away of Hulga's symbolic phallus or male 'member' (her leg) suggests that O'Connor views Hulga as insufficiently humble as a woman should be before God. Hulga's disdain of affection, her coldness to being kissed, and her disgust at…...
mlaWorks Cited
Havird, David. "The saving rape: Flannery O'Connor and patriarchal religion." The Mississippi
Quarterly. Winter 1993. FindArticles.com. January 14, 2011. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3524/is_n1_v47/ai_n28633529/
Lake, Christina Bieber. "Flannery O'Connor's beatific vision." Christianity and Literature.
Autumn 2010. FindArticles.com. January 14, 2011. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb049/is_1_60/ai_n56366241/
God would have never created human beings if everyone was to be perfect.
There are certain problems with the view that there is evil in the world despite the presence of an almighty God who is omnipotent and omniscient. Critics believe that evil should not exist if God is omnipotent and omniscient. They believe that there is evil in this world because God doesn't exist. There is no to govern what is right and wrong. This view is contradicted by some religions which rightfully believe that God is there and he created the world as He knows what's best for his beings. This point-of-view leads critics to argue that God is not morally good and that if He has so much power then He would be able to get rid of evil from the world without any problems.
Epicurus was quoted to have said "Either God wants to abolish evil, and…...
mlaBibliography
The Philosophical Problem of Evil, Philosophy of Religion, David A. Conway (1988) 24: 35-66.
Evil and the God of Love, first edition. John Hick, 1966.
The Coherence of Theism, Richard Swinburne, 1997
2000 years of Disbelief, Epicurus
4. How does Luther and Calvin's view of moral evil differ from that of Catholicism?
The classical Christian approach to the dilemma of moral evil has been that people are abusing the freedom of choice given to them by their creator. With free will and the ability to choose between good and evil actions, people who exercise the wrong choices can create moral evil, which impacts others. The Catholic Church essentially takes this approach to evil. To understand their approach, one must understand the concept of original sin. When Adam and Eve were in the garden, they were created in the image of God, but with a presumably much more limited intellect than modern humans. They were forbidden to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge, because it would give them moral reasoning, thus making them closer to God. However, they chose to eat of this fruit, which distanced them…...
mlaReferences
Hill, B., Knitter, P., & Madges, W. (1997). Faith, religion & theology: A contemporary introduction revised & expanded. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications.
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