Evil = Absence of Good??

SkepticalScience

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I heard an interesting "proof" on god today:

Theist: "Of course god exists, why do you think there is all this evil in the world?"

SS: "Huh? I'd think that evil and unfairness DEMONSTRATES the lack of a GOOD god"

Theist: "No no no. It's like darkness. Darkness is the absense of light. Or Silence, which is just the absense of sound. Evil is just the absense of god - and good is the presense of god. Just like darkness is the absense of light.

How would you have responded??
 
SkepticalScience said:

How would you have responded??
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"No, you've got it backwards. Evil isn't the absence of good, good is the absence of evil. Only by rejecting the evil of religion can we achieve true good."

And then walked away while they were still working it out.
 
Ask them to explain how there exists an absence from an omnipresent being.

ETA: But the doc's answer is better. :D
 
SkepticalScience said:
Theist: "No no no. It's like darkness. Darkness is the absense of light. Or Silence, which is just the absense of sound. Evil is just the absense of god - and good is the presense of god. Just like darkness is the absense of light.

How would you have responded??
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(doing my best hyper-excited Nick Cage impression:)

Yes, YES! Just like, just like... like religion is the absense of thought! Yes! Fsck YES! I gotta go.. gotta tell..."

...and scamper off. Turning once to point at Theist with both index fingers and shouting "Yes!" one more time.
 
The notion of malum est privatio boni, according to which evil possesses no authentic being but exists only as a privation of the good, dates back to Augustine. It's one of the most influential and written-about ideas in the history of Western philosophy, frankly. I can't believe it would strike any educated adult as a novelty.
 
That's funny. As an Atheist I have suggested the same thing.

That evil is the absence, not the opposite of good..

This is in opposition to the idea that it is a force that is wielded by beings such as Satan..

Of course ' Good ' is not a force either.. It is just the way people behave..

There is a saying, I believe it shows ( or has ) up in someone's sig around here, to the effect of:


" All we need for evil to reign, is for good men to do nothing ."
 
SkepticalScience said:
I heard an interesting "proof" on god today:

Theist: "Of course god exists, why do you think there is all this evil in the world?"

SS: "Huh? I'd think that evil and unfairness DEMONSTRATES the lack of a GOOD god"

Theist: "No no no. It's like darkness. Darkness is the absense of light. Or Silence, which is just the absense of sound. Evil is just the absense of god - and good is the presense of god. Just like darkness is the absense of light.

How would you have responded??
Click to expand...

I would have responded "That's rule(8) B.S., buddy. How can God be absent if one of His major aspects is omnipresence? And if He deliberately WITHDREW His presence, then He's directly responsible for creating evil!"

Mankind is perfectly capable of concocting evil. It doesn't prove or disprove anything, really - just that we have both the capacity for good and for evil. Now, Evil - as in "divine Evil", as in "Fallen Angel Evil" - that WOULD be proof of God. :)
 
Diogenes said:
That's funny. As an Atheist I have suggested the same thing.

That evil is the absence, not the opposite of good..
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This morning, I put on my shoes.

Was that "good"? Or "not good"?

Yesterday morning, I did not put on my shoes.

Was that "good"? Or "not good"?

If evil is the absence of good, and "putting on my shoes" is good, then does that mean "not putting on my shoes" is evil?
 
pgwenthold said:
This morning, I put on my shoes.

Was that "good"? Or "not good"?

Yesterday morning, I did not put on my shoes.

Was that "good"? Or "not good"?

If evil is the absence of good, and "putting on my shoes" is good, then does that mean "not putting on my shoes" is evil?
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Well, there's good, " Mmmmmmmmmmm good. ", and there's good, " Good job !", and there is good, " That was a good thing you did . "


When you talk about putting on your shoes, is " good " the best choice of word.. We might say : " Putting on your shoes is smart. " I'll let you work out the opposite of that..:D
 
Diogenes said:
Well, there's good, " Mmmmmmmmmmm good. ", and there's good, " Good job !", and there is good, " That was a good thing you did . "


When you talk about putting on your shoes, is " good " the best choice of word.. We might say : " Putting on your shoes is smart. " I'll let you work out the opposite of that..:D
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How do you know I wasn't planning on taking a shower?

(besides, you missed the obvious point: considering how bad my feet stink, not putting my shoes on might actually be evil :D )
 
SkepticalScience said:
I heard an interesting "proof" on god today:

Theist: "Of course god exists, why do you think there is all this evil in the world?"

SS: "Huh? I'd think that evil and unfairness DEMONSTRATES the lack of a GOOD god"

Theist: "No no no. It's like darkness. Darkness is the absense of light. Or Silence, which is just the absense of sound. Evil is just the absense of god - and good is the presense of god. Just like darkness is the absense of light.

How would you have responded??
Click to expand...


That it still demonstrates the lack of a good "God."

 
What, neutrality isn't an option?

I kick the blind lady = Evil.
I help the blind lady with her groceries = Good.
I do nothing to the blind lady = Neutral.


If evil is the absence of good, then the absense of good should mean evil. Am I then currently acting evilly, because I am not currently helping any blind ladies?
 
TragicMonkey said:
What, neutrality isn't an option?

I kick the blind lady = Evil.
I help the blind lady with her groceries = Good.
I do nothing to the blind lady = Neutral.


If evil is the absence of good, then the absense of good should mean evil. Am I then currently acting evilly, because I am not currently helping any blind ladies?
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Hey, I already said " Evil reins when good monkeys, err uhh, -- men do nothing "..:D


It's not really black and white.. I don't think watching the blind lady fumble with her groceries is evil ( unless you are chuckling to yourself ), but it seems to be a little south of neutral..
 
Diogenes said:
Hey, I already said " Evil reins when good monkeys, err uhh, -- men do nothing "..:D


It's not really black and white.. I don't think watching the blind lady fumble with her groceries is evil ( unless you are chuckling to yourself ), but it seems to be a little south of neutral..
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I would suggest that neutrality would more often be the result of obliviousness than deliberate inaction.
 
Bodhi Dharma Zen said:
There is no "evil", everyone wants its own "good". Those notions are obsolete anyways.
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You make two statements there. I can see how you could make either without the other, but not how you can make both.

If the notions are obsolete, don't use them. You only propogate their use.
 
Bodhi Dharma Zen said:
There is no "evil", everyone wants its own "good". Those notions are obsolete anyways.
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I disagree. Evil and good exist. They may be relative terms, but they exist.
 
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