what is evil

i want order members opinions

Evil is a human concept, based on behaviors that largely stem from percieved inequality, especially believing that one or some humans are on a different level than others. Often this manifests as a single person believing themselves to be above others and treating them differently. The many actions this line of thought can lead to are often classified as "evil."

In a sense, it is the willful and wanton act intended to elicit an outcome that would do harm, cause harm, or be detrimental to the common good, with no remorse, and done with a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction.

Sometimes what may be looked at as evil by one group is a good act by another. Just think about the wars in the Middle East and what each side considers evil.

Any person could do an evil act, but is it evil if a day later you feel remorse or guilty for doing the act?

There is no right or wrong answer to the question of “What is Evil”, defining evil is in the interpretation. I keep going back to the Tao Te Ching…

# 1
The way that can be told, is not the eternal Force.
The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.
The unnamable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin of all particular things.
Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.
Yet mystery and manifestations

I used to side with the Gygaxian notion that the definition was based on selfishness. Then I realized everything I do, even the "good" things, is ultimately selfish. For example, I do things for the benefit of others because it makes me happy, so ultimately my motivation isn't to help them, but to make myself happy. Helping others is simply the vehicle that gets me there.

So I've come to redefine my opinion of "evil" from simple selfishness to detrimental selfishness; a selfishness that actively harms others, with malice aforethought.

I used to side with the Gygaxian notion that the definition was based on selfishness. Then I realized everything I do, even the "good" things, is ultimately selfish. For example, I do things for the benefit of others because it makes me happy, so ultimately my motivation isn't to help them, but to make myself happy. Helping others is simply the vehicle that gets me there.

I do not believe this definition is accurate. When you see someone fall in a store, your first instinct is to help that person up. There is no thought of..."I'm going to be happy when I do this". Feeling good about helping others is a response to the energy being felt throughout the Force for the kind act. The energy being emanated into the Force from all the people in the area that witnessed the helping act is what is responsible for the feelings of happiness you feel.

"You yourself are participating in the evil, or you are not alive. Whatever
you do is evil for somebody. This is one of the ironies of the whole creation." ~ Joseph Campbell

There is no such thing as 'good' or 'evil' as things 'in-and-of' themselves. 'Good' corresponds to that which supports the realisation of the image of our desires ; 'evil', that which impedes this. 'Evil', as it concerns others, is the so-called 'understanding' (or more precisely the 'identification') of the obstacle that others' ideologies and behaviours present with regard to our own. It is well to remember that the protagonist-antagonist relationship is reflexive within itself - the protagonist is the antagonist to the antagonist as he would be the protagonist unto him/herself ...

Tao Te Ching LXIX --

The generals have a saying:
"Rather than make the first move
it is better to wait and see.
Rather than advance an inch
it is better to retreat a yard." This is called
going forward without advancing,
pushing back without using weapons. There is no greater misfortune
than underestimating your enemy.
Underestimating your enemy
means thinking that he is evil.
Thus you destroy your three treasures (simplicity, patience & compassion)
and become an enemy yourself. When two great forces oppose each other,
the victory will go
to the one that knows how to yield.

but is not one such as a child rapist evil by what they do and thus by the very nature of their actions needing to be stopped ...and by our claim to be the lightin the dark ....do we not have a responsibilty to stop evil such as this when we come across it

and if we see such evil and refuse to act are we not by our inaction evil ourselves

To the rapist their acts may not be evil..even if perceived as such by the majority...

Good and evil is determined by a general consensus of morally like minded individuals...and therefore a matter of perspective...

To me there is a short list of what constitutes evil...rape, and murder being the main ones...

i am a gaurdian by nature so my veiws on evil are different ...aknowledging somthing is the first step to defeating it (ignoring the man robbing my house isnt gunna make him go away)