What is the Root of all evil?

[Tina]

[QUOTE=austintorn@aol.com;35263][SIZE="2"]Evolution produced a brain that survived not in spite of violence and aggression but because of it.
QUOTE]

Well perhaps more accurately because of "the root of evil" aggression was the "only" way we could survive.

Look at it this way EVIL>religion>culture>politics>war>technological & scientific discovery>survival. You still havn't identified the root of the "evil" that caused us to have a brain that survives because of "evil".

[TRY AGAIN IF YOU STILL HAVE THE ENERGY]

[austintorn@aol.com]

Good and evil were wrought from wrong and right,
When, from naught, twin genii split day and night.
Some think that black’s might can vanquish white,
But night can’t even quench the smallest light!

I’m the darkest, said the Shadow to the Night.
No, said Midnight, compared to me you’re bright.
You floodlights! said Starless Space, Stop your fight.
The darkest plight is the lack of love’s delight!

[Tina]

[I]Good and evil were wrought from wrong and right,

Technically the question does not allow for the root of "Good and Evil" so I have to eliminate your causes Wrong and Right... I assume though that in the context of the poem (quite lovely) WRONG was the component that produced EVIL. "Wrong" is a symptom of evil not the cause.

[MAYBE TAKE A REST FROM THIS FOR A WHILE] then [TRY AGAIN]

[austintorn@aol.com]

The Religious Answer: God

The light of Heav’n did the earth illumine
When HE shaped human-nature’s acumen.
Temptations HE then placed everywhere,
But HE’ll punish us for being human!

Helpful effort, or love, defines what’s good;
Goodness taken to extreme is called God.
Laziness, or non-love, is but neutral.
Evil, or harm excess, names the Devil.



The Scientific Answer: Duality

Good and evil—you can’t have one without
The other; so, too, with plenty and drought,
Sadness and smile, life and death, night and day,
Sun and flood, give and take, and truth and doubt.

Opposites are just a different view
Of one fundamental phenomenon—
Light, beauty, and goodness are the inverse
Sides of darkness, ugliness, and evil.

Edges dissolve when opposites are balanced—
Time and dimensional space are transcended.
Everything joins, yet remains as it is,
For what “is not” is as great as what “is”.

Each holds within itself the seed of the other—
Yin reaches climax, then retreats in Yang’s favor:
Cyclic movement of rotational symmetry.
Rounded life is the blend of Yin/Yang together.

Strive to maintain a dynamic balance—of light
And dark, hard and soft, Yin and Yang, and wrong and right.
Reality is found not in separate actions,
But in related events blended in twilight.


(I'm taking a rest now.)

[protheory]

The love of money?

I think the root of all evil comes from humans having part of an animal brain but also part of a higher thought capability as well. Animals cannot decide not to hurt (be evil) in the same conscious way that we humans can and I think it's awareness of hurt and the disregard of empathy that is the root of all evil in us.

[Tina]

Deleted See Below

[Tina]

Austintorn [QUOTE]

The Religious Answer: GOD
The Scientic Answer: Duality
[END QUOTE]

a)We cannot "prove or disprove" the existance of God, Zeus, Allah ,Jehovah etc so we cannot use as part of the analysis.


b)The concept of dualitity is a symptom of evil not the cause. Opposite is a physical relationship - anything else we say about being opposite is a value judgement. Value judgements are symptoms not the cause.

[zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz]

(I'm taking a rest now.)[/size][/center]

[Tina]

The love of money?

I think the root of all evil comes from humans having part of an animal brain but also part of a higher thought capability as well. Animals cannot decide not to hurt (be evil) in the same conscious way that we humans can and I think it's awareness of hurt and the disregard of empathy that is the root of all evil in us.

Pro but what you describe is a theoriy of evil. Are you saying a higher thought capicity is the root of evil? Are animals what they are by default?

[protheory]

Pro but what you describe is a theoriy of evil. Are you saying a higher thought capicity is the root of evil? Are animals what they are by default?

Hmm, I'm not sure how to word this Tina. I think I'm saying that in my view 'evil' means conscious causing of pain and or negativity in extreme form. I say extreme as a lesser evil would be more along the lines of being nasty or similar rather than what I'd associate with the word evil.

What I mean is that animals may seem evil in the predatory sense, causing extreme pain by virtue of the lion eating its prey for example, and if we knew of a human killing something (when they had a choice) we might say it was evil because the human was conscious of the pain it was causing. Therein lies the difference I think, it's the being able to choose that I think is important.

We never seem to feel sorry for the lion's prey because there seems to be an assumption of it being natural or nature's way or whatever, but on the flip side if a human knowingly inflicts pain on another living thing we call it torture which I certainly consider to be evil.

The prey and predator example isn't a very good one for illustrative purposes I'm afraid but it'll have to do for now. So basically this is why I think that higher thought (empathy) capabilities and the disregard of them is the root of all evil.

Come to think of it gluttony is a good example actually, they say you'll never see an overweight animal unless humans are involved. Animals usually eat only as much as they need to survive but humans will hoard food from other humans to survive longer and will covet the belongings of others. It's this ability to be able to think about and explore a desire or animal need that causes the problems (i.e. evil).

It's all similar stuff in my opinion, evil is being able to think about instinct and then still act instinctively like an animal without the empathy. This is why weapons exist for example, humans have (to a large extent) the unconscious instinct to defend their territory and because they can think they not only defend their own land but they often choose to conquer other lands as well.

What do you think?

[Tina]

I think I'm saying that in my view 'evil' means conscious causing of pain and or negativity .

a human killing something (when they had a choice) we might say it was evil because the human was conscious of the pain it was causing.

if a human knowingly inflicts pain on another living thing we call it torture which I certainly consider to be evil.

So basically this is why I think that higher thought (empathy) capabilities and the disregard of them is the root of all evil.

It's this ability to be able to think about and explore a desire or animal need that causes the problems (i.e. evil).

the unconscious instinct to defend their territory and because they can think they not only defend their own land but they often choose to conquer other lands as well.

What do you think?

Pro I'll just respond to selected comments:

1) Evil is not allways a conscious act.

2) Animals do what is necessary but humans often do what is unecessary.

3) What is considered evil is completely arbitrary

4)We act with instinct plus emotion and intellect.

5) Animals claim and protect their space. The human treats space as something more than a spacial area.

[TRY AGAIN BUT NEXT TIME WITH A CAUSE UNDERLYING THE OBSERVATIONS]