01-15-2019, 07:44 PM
I suspect this is another one of those cases where we don't disagree as much as we think we do and are actually talking past each other.
It's the fact that suffering is possible at all, and that we can choose to contribute towards the suffering of others. Denying the existience of evil as a concept seems to me that you're either not acknowledging that you can harm others, or not acknowledging that this is in any way undesirable.
Replace the word 'negative' with 'evil' and you basically have the sense in which I am using the word. It goes beyond consequences, though. If a forum member began bullying and harrassing another member who wasn't very popular, you could argue that the consequences are minor enough that it doesn't really matter, since no one likes them. But most people would feel that such behaviour is wrong in and of itself.
Quote:As a gay man I'm happy that you feel this way. However, moving beyond my (admittedly self-interested) emotions on the matter, the fact that you're trying to make an argument for the existence of good, evil, and morality by starting from an assumption that they exist doesn't really convince me (sorry).
It's the fact that suffering is possible at all, and that we can choose to contribute towards the suffering of others. Denying the existience of evil as a concept seems to me that you're either not acknowledging that you can harm others, or not acknowledging that this is in any way undesirable.
Quote:I would say that there are various reasons why allowing people to harm each other at will would probably result in more negative consequences than positive ones.
Replace the word 'negative' with 'evil' and you basically have the sense in which I am using the word. It goes beyond consequences, though. If a forum member began bullying and harrassing another member who wasn't very popular, you could argue that the consequences are minor enough that it doesn't really matter, since no one likes them. But most people would feel that such behaviour is wrong in and of itself.