Good vs Evil (essay)
This debate has been going on for a very long time, with different interpretations in various cultures and throughout history. It is because of the different interpretations that people and cultures have about what good or evil is, that we ask if these concepts are real. These concepts are based on morality, but because of the differences in what different cultures and individuals consider to be good or evil, there is a lack consensus about what constitutes true good and bad. The debate will be explored in this essay.
In the beginning, good and bad were expressed by pantheons that represented gods on either side of a moral compass. In the past, we saw the Judeo-Christian belief in divine law. Your entrance to heaven was dependent on your sinful or saintly nature. In modern concepts good and Evil are seen as actions. An individual can have both qualities of good, and evil. The society that surrounds them decides whether or not they fall on either side. The concept of good and evil is not a black-and-white one anymore. While there are general rules in place for what is right or wrong, individuals can still have both. Different cultures and societies have different views on what is right and wrong. Law is a gray area when it comes to what’s right and wrong. However, all societies have many things in common that are wrong. For example, murder. Can we say that murdering someone is wrong because we all see that as a common opinion in human society? Yes and No. Many studies will show that achieving true happiness is impossible. In some cases, death is seen as a way to achieve happiness since existence on this planet is painful. It is possible that death, as the only means to happiness in this world, would make killing another person a form of happiness. It is only through the nature of relative things that we can maintain concepts of good and evil.
A second argument is that we have a moral compass based on survival. As long as we live, life is good. Death on the other hand is bad. In communities, this argument can be sustained by stating that more people living in a village or community will lead to greater numbers, better goods and increased population. In this way we can create a basic ethical compass in which many things are regarded as good or evil. For example: murders, thefts, vandalism and other crimes can all easily be classified as bad without any need to justify them.
We see that as technology advances, complex moral questions arise. One such issue is euthanasia. In this practice, a life is intentionally ended, often because of suffering. In many cultures, people feel morally obliged to keep others alive for as long as they can. For example, a person who is brain-dead but still has a functional body is considered alive in Judaism. The utilitarian view would be that it is wasteful to keep a braindead person alive when there are other individuals that can still function.
The decision is relative. Abortion is another common topic. Do we value a fetus or a newborn child more? Abortion is it wrong or right? This question also relates to the larger issue of whether the person carrying the child has the right or not to make this decision. This is a controversial question. Some religious beliefs believe that abortion is murder. Others argue that fetuses have no cognitive ability to understand the world and are therefore not worth as much as born humans. It is up to each individual who is carrying the child, but the debate will continue. Maybe one day good and evil can be justified in every country, but for now we have a lot of complicated situations that are difficult to resolve. As long as societies, cultures and religions live by moral compasses, the concept of good and evil is relative.
