What is evil? (3 Viewers)

[egg_]

Bah
I love this kind of conversation, pity I'm so busy in work and at home

People use this term "hardwired" a lot, as some kind of comfort

I hope you're not talking about me - I use "hardwired" to mean something is pre-installed in our brains, and not something learned. No moral judgement one way or the other involved.

My computer here has the folder "Windows" hardwired (I guess, I'm no computer guy) into its folder structure ... And if I deleted it, would it not have a profound and devastating effect on the functioning, ability, and identity of the computer?

Of course it would. The whole idea of considering hardwired behaviours separately from learned ones is we can't get rid of the former, or somehow educate them out of people.

I find the whole thrust of your enquiry puzzling snaky. Wasn't it yourself, in a previous exchange on thumped, that made me realise that, on top of whatever hard-wired ethics we have evolved to have, everyone has some fundamental priority list they base their moral framework on? Are you now seriously looking for some sort of moral absolute?

 

[egg_]

Take nature: The brutal attack of a chimpanzee on another, and the pleasure taken in this, is regarded as an act of nature, pure and brutal--and neither good nor evil.

You could say "what's the difference?" That is the attitude of the neocons: "We are a warlike people", i.e., we may as well accept it, that's nature.

Just because it's the attitude of people we don't like doesn't mean it's the wrong attitude

And here's the difference - we want good lives for ourselves and people who we consider to be our brethren. We don't really give a shit about chimps being mean to each other

 

[Reets]

what if there is some ultimate morality that mankind is working towards (kinda platos theory of the forms thing) and anything that goes against this progression is classified as evil?

 

[the strange guy]

I don't want to live in a world where sitting about on your hole is an abomination.

 

[Reets]

really? i quite like thinking i can be an abomination of nature without any effort atall.

 

[sarah]

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil.html

apologies if someone posted this already.

 

[Skrankio-X]

what if there is some ultimate morality that mankind is working towards (kinda platos theory of the forms thing) and anything that goes against this progression is classified as evil?

Plato's theory of the forms can kiss my toot

On a related note:

 

[Reets]

if i remember my plato stuff he'd have liked to do that.

 

[egg_]

FWIW I think plato's idea of the forms is the most wrong-headed idea I've ever heard

 

[Reets]

yea its a bit messed up, perfect table floating out there and all.
his republic was messed up too, the state being your parent, people made of different metals and rigged reproduction lottery. his cave analogy was great tho, nothing like making philosophy students feel superior to insure your popularity. cant remember the name of my favourite greek philosopher or any of his ideas but he lived in a barrel on the main st, flung his crap at the nobles and organised mass orgies in public places. fun guy.

 

[the strange guy]

I thought the story with Plato was that everyone appreciated his
attempts but that all of his theories are irrelevant now.
Kinda like the IRB.

 

[Shorty]

I thought the story with Plato was that everyone appreciated his
attempts but that all of his theories are irrelevant now.
Kinda like the IRB.

Yeah, except for the large proportion of his ideas that are reproduced in Christianity.

 

[Reets]

that pretty much it, he never seemed to get that some people have minds of their own and wont do what someone tells them to cos they're the head guy for the moment.
i do like the idea of all these perfect forms of everything just beyond our grasp and try as we might (most likely) we'll never create anythig a good as it.
cant remember where maths and logic fitted into it, is it possible to have a btter 4 then we have? (ah if only i hadnt failed logic)

 

[the strange guy]

Yeah, except for the large proportion of his ideas that are reproduced in Christianity.

Non-sexual love with boys?
They never quite got the hang of that.

 

[Shorty]

They did invent gayness.

 

[Reets]

platos god was omnipotent and omnipresent but didnt care about us atall, just there doing its thing, aristotle's god was a bit more people friendly but as his work was lost and then banned (when found, no point banning something if you dont know where it is) till st thomas aquinas tweeked it a bit. aristotle rocked.

 

[Reets]

They did invent gayness.

how can you invent gayness?????

 

[the strange guy]

how can you invent gayness?????

Maybe you should ask that on a Greek forum.

 

[Reets]

ok then im just gonna go invent a whole new form of sexuality. . oh wait i cant.

 

[the strange guy]

quadsexual
quintsexual
sexsexual