The problem of good and evil is the eternal theme of human cognition. As with any eternal theme, it does not have simple answers. The complexity of this problem is explained by the fact that the concepts of good and evil are included to evaluative categories of the human cognitive practice. They represent people’s judgments about the world, the interaction of the forces of nature and people, and their relationships. The definition of these concepts depends not only on the objective content of what is happening in the world or have occurred in the past but also on the level of moral consciousness of a person, on the ability to penetrate into the essence of the phenomenon, the breadth of outlook, and desire to achieve the truth.
Good and evil are the central concepts of moral consciousness. Through the prism of these concepts, there is the evaluation of human actions and his/her activities. These concepts have been developed by moral consciousness for a long time, as the first ethical systems already used them in their constructions. Good is the most general notion of morality. It integrates the entire set of positive rules and the requirements of morality. Good acts as an ideal. In addition, good can be considered as a moral goal of behavior. In this case, it acts as a motive for action. At the same time, good is the quality of a person, a virtue. This multi-valued definition of good arises from the very nature of morality that pervades all aspects of human activity.
Evil is the opposite of good. The category of evil is a generalized expression of ideas about everything immoral that deserves condemnation and must be overcome. For example, in the relationship between people, evil may be observed in case a person is treated not as an individual but as a source of benefit and selfish purposes. Evil is a generic term in relation to all morally negative phenomena, such as deception, meanness, and cruelty. Evil is manifested in both small and large quantities. It is rooted in habits, morals, and everyday psychology.
Acting in morality is a choice between good and evil. A person can make a free conscious choice only when he/she knows what is right and what is wrong. At the same time, one cannot say that good is something absolute because good and evil are interrelated. The moral life of a person is usually contradictory. On the one hand, a person seeks to satisfy his/her desires, selfish tendencies, and private interest. However, on the other hand, a sense of duty and responsibility to others are inherent in a person.
The religious ethics argues that good is an expression of the will or the mind of God. Evil is fatally inherent in an individual. It is a sin that Adam and Eve committed. Eve is the source of the existence of evil on the Earth. Naturalistic theories see the origin of good in the abstract human nature, in the quest for pleasure and happiness. Ethics of hedonism contends that good is what gives pleasure or leads to it. Thus, good is a positive notion, pleasure and joy. However, evil is suffering, sorrow, and displeasure. However, it is possible to argue that the content of pleasure depends not only on the age, but also on the environment and education. Therefore, positive and negative emotions objectively do not carry the definitions of good and evil. Ethics of utilitarianism argues that good is something that is useful to the individual and evil is something harmful. Utilitarians, for example, claim that we intuitively know that pain is a moral evil. However, people do not always do what is good for them. In addition, in history, there were cases of selfless service of a person in the name of certain ideas. It is difficult to explain the behavior by utilitarian ethics. Relativistic ethics argues that the distinction between good and evil is not inherent in nature. It exists only in people’s opinions. From this point of view, it follows that there are so many equivalent moral judgments as there are people. The main drawback of the relativistic ethical theory is that it is impossible to identify the content of universal morality, the beginning which is stored in different historical periods in different nations. Moreover, this view often leads to immorality – abandonment of morality in general. Modern ethical theories believe that the definition of good is almost impossible – intuitional or good depends entirely on the personal conception of the individual – existentialism.
The existence of good is not exposed to doubts. However, some religious thinkers consider evil as the lack of good. In any case, the idea of good organizes and unifies the spiritual life of a person. The real manifestation of good is multi-faceted and complicated. It is difficult to give a clear definition of good. It is represented in the form of a light, soothing, and ennobling image. There are no clean carriers of good. In every person, there are not only advantages but also disadvantages. Skeptics of antiquity claimed that it was possible to identify specific manifestations of goodness. Nevertheless, it was impossible to give a definition of good in general. Although a person cannot give a clear definition of good and evil, he/she still instinctively distinguishes good from evil.
Religious thinkers say about the nature of good and evil the most emphatically. They claim that God is a living embodiment of goodness and Satan is an embodiment of evil. Thus, good and evil have a supernatural source. As mythologies developed within human culture, the concepts of good and evil became personified in the form of supernatural being. Only faith in absolute good allows people to do good. The religious interpretation of good and evil is quite simple. It is based on the tenets that have a long history. However, there is a question of how this understanding of good and evil has objective criteria. Callahan claims, As religious systems of thought developed, good became associated with various gods while evil became associated with beings called demons. It can only be unmistakably argued that some actions correspond to the will of God. There are commandments contained in the Bible, which is believed to be the will of God. Scripture references and the statements of the Church Fathers do not always provide a way out of the difficulties, as there are many contradictions in them. The fact of the existence of evil creates great difficulties for the church.
The doctrine of objective idealism echoes with a religious interpretation of good and evil. The doctrine considers good as something completely autonomous and independent from the empirical world. Plato and Hegel adhered to this point of view. Various concrete manifestations of good must be compatible with each other as a result of the unity of good. Hedonistic teachings of the concept of good and evil are withdrawn from pleasure and happiness. Good deeds lead to happiness and pleasure. Evil gives rise to suffering and misery. The achievement of good is usually a pleasant experience.
Different approaches to the definition of good and evil note certain moments of a good behavior and specific manifestations of goodness. Good is something that uplifts a person above selfishness. Without good, existence of human society and personality is impossible. Evil brings disharmony in society and the inner world of the individual. It destroys the original orientation of human life. Good lies in kindness. It is expressed in the appropriate directions, focus of human behavior, and the ability to perform certain actions. According to Aristotle, one of the leading Western moral philosophers, the pursuit of the good life is our most important activity as humans. It is important not only to have an image of good but be able to defend the goodness and approve it in everyday life. It is necessary to develop the skills of good behavior. According to Aristotle, it is through the repeated performance of good actions that we become moral (and happier) people. It is also important to distinguish kindness from feigned kindness, disguised greed, selfishness, and indifference.
Good and evil are the opposite mutually exclusive concepts. At the same time, they are relative. Good and evil are the concepts of a high degree of generalization. They are fundamental categories of moral consciousness, on the content of which depends other ethical ideas. Good and evil are not equal principles. Evil is secondary with respect to good. It is only a reverse side of good. In Christianity and Islam, God – goodness – is omnipotent. Devil – evil – is only able to entice individuals to the violation of the commandments.
The idea that in the world and in a person, there is a struggle between the forces of good and evil is one of the fundamental ideas penetrating the entire history of culture. Good is the highest moral value. It does not concern natural phenomena or events. Good characterizes actions performed freely and consciously correlated with higher values and ideals. Good consists in overcoming isolation, fragmentation, and alienation between people. It approves mutual understanding, moral equality, and humanity. Good characterizes human actions in terms of the spiritual elevation and moral perfection. The concept of good is closely linked with the notion of virtue. It is a morally positive quality. Different virtues express different facets of good – courage, complaisance, kindness, severity, generosity, frugality, and justice. Virtue is not given to people by nature. It must be educated.
The concept of evil is actions of a person or many people is aimed at the destruction of socially accepted moral principles causing harm to the others. It carries moral sufferings and leads to the destruction of personality. Moral evil is an opposite quality of what the ideal society seeks. Qualities are supported by relevant motivations, feelings, and aspirations. Moral evil is represented by two main categories – hostility and dissoluteness. Hostility is an external category, which usually has a strong message. It aims to achieve domination by any means and leads to destruction. In its manifestations, hostility is based on the most negative human qualities – hatred, cruelty, and aggression. Dissoluteness is an inner quality aimed at the destruction of the personality. Qualities that characterize dissoluteness are laziness and cowardice. Dissoluteness destroys a person physically and mentally and can lead to complete degradation. Evil as a moral category suggests a complete lack or a low threshold of conscience in a person.
Categories of good and evil are the essence of the eternal choice of the person, the meaning of his/her earthly existence. This problem appeared with the very beginning of human civilization. Without awareness of the personality of what is good and evil, it is impossible to grasp the other categories of ethical values. The question of good and evil is the center of all religious doctrines known to mankind. There are problems of good and evil in philosophy, ethics, psychology, and other sciences. This topic has been widely discussed in literary works. This problem does not cease to disturb mankind forcing to search for new answers to eternal questions.
About the author: Helga Marselos is a blogger since her 6. She can't imagine my life without the internet, coffee, and trips. She is a copywriter, blogger and content manager at https://topwritingservice.com/. Her mission is to make boring academic papers sparkle. She believes that each of us can make someone's life better with just little effort.
When people first hear about hacking, they will usually see this idea as something negative.
Indeed, hacking has always been about taking advantage of unprotected or weakly-guarded sites or systems for the individuals own selfish interest.
Because of thisEthical Hacking Methodology, HackerType a message
Some days ago I had an interesting discussion with my son who is 22 years old.
I told him how nowadays I think about the days when I will have a grandchild and to my utter surprise, he said, “Oh Mamma, Stop Daydreaming.
Why bring a person in the world when that person has not asked you to bring him /her into this chaotic and messed up the planet”.I was taken aback.
And For-Your-Information, I have spent 25 years of my career helping couples to have a baby and I have seen couples experiencing ultimate bliss and happiness when they have a baby and Babies are so cute !!.
So you must also have one, someday”, I replied“So, you mean to say that, for my selfish interests and maybe for your selfish interest, I should bring a child and put him into a world that will have so many challenges in the next few years.
The population is increasing so much, the environment is getting worse day by day and there is so much hatred and wars in the name of religion, caste and creed.I thought maybe this cynicism has come from watching too many sci-fi movies showing apocalypse happening and the end of the world.
A presentation of the myriad of teachings contained in the Noble Quran could most likely fill up countless volumes of manuscripts.
Quran is the speech of Allah SWT, for which He testifies: Say, “If the sea were ink for [writing] the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even if We brought the like of it as a supplement.”(Quran 18:109) So, what are the teachings of the Quran?Every single Quranic teaching incorporates a moral lesson that has the inherent potential to change lives and stir souls.
Even the hardest of hearts have been moved by God’s personal message to mankind.
This is an attempt to present five unique teachings of the Noble Quran.
Some of the choicest lessons have been carefully selected to inspire readers.
For perhaps they may reconsider their priorities and objectives in life.
Indeed, hacking has always been about taking advantage of unprotected or weakly-guarded sites or systems for the individuals own selfish interest.
Because of this, others (often companies,) who want to strengthen the protection of their online systems turn to professionals for help.
These professional hackers (sometimes known as "white hats,") use an ethical hacking methodology to help build a stronger defense against real hacking threats.
By deliberately "attacking" the system, they can quickly identify its flaws, and then begin to come up with contingency plans to stall, avoid or eliminate real actual hacking attacks.
The act of hacking ethically into a system in order to expose possible weak points, ones that real hackers, or "black hats" (due to less savory intentions) can exploit, can help prevent the company from loss of earnings or reputation.
Though when you consider the ethical hacking methodology includes breaking into online systems, it is quite possible that many white hats today have gained their experiences originally as black hats themselves!
NZT-48 is the famed Limitless Pill from the 2011 movie "Limitless" that is said to give you mental superpowers.Even though such concepts belong to the world of science fiction, there are certain smart drugs that are said to mimic the effects (although none come nearly as close to the effects displayed in the movie).There's been quite a lot of hype ever since the release of the movie Limitless of which is the closest thing to the real NZT.Most people seem to agree on the fact that Modafinil is the closest thing to the real Limitless pill.Of course, other similar smart drugs exist that work on the same aspects of human cognition as NZT-48.The nootropics movement has been gaining traction over the years.Read more about the fictional Limitless pill and which nootropics come close to it on Nootrodelic, a blog about nootropics, psychedelics and responsible use.
