korsriddare (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
korsriddare) wrote2009-04-06 08:19 pm
korsriddare) wrote2009-04-06 08:19 pm
Entry tags:
The problem of evil
So, the nuclear astrophysics test was easier than expected.
Anyhow, a discussion on games with a friend turned some what philosophical. Then again, we are both taking philo of religion.
It started out with Diablo 3, then 2, and how he find it slightly disturbing how Blizzard potrayed evil. Mainly, evil is so blatantly external and that manifested in some eternal being that we can fight.
Which is an interesting observation, I suppose. That is, in reality, that most evil are... internal, perhaps? The evil that resides within man and woman. Even amongst ourselves. Hence why some people are said to have strong moral compasses, while others are said to be amoral.
Still, I find eternal evil an interesting concept. In that, while normal people may have evil, but they do at least have the option to make moral decisions themselves. I do not think anyone can be wholly good. Or wholly evil. But they can get damn close, methinks.
On the other hand, a pure eternal evil being can be quite terrifying, if it ever existed and has sufficient abilities. This is something that manifests itself independantly. You cannot reason with it, for it does not care about law. You cannot negotiate with it, for in its mind there is no concept of what good is. At the end of the day, what this being may force is a conflict, perhaps an armed conflict. As someone said before, "War is wasteful, but the alternative is unacceptable."
Of course, evil may not be something objective at all, but for the sake of the line of thought above, I will just consider evil the typical definition - the social norm, at least.
Anyhow, a discussion on games with a friend turned some what philosophical. Then again, we are both taking philo of religion.
It started out with Diablo 3, then 2, and how he find it slightly disturbing how Blizzard potrayed evil. Mainly, evil is so blatantly external and that manifested in some eternal being that we can fight.
Which is an interesting observation, I suppose. That is, in reality, that most evil are... internal, perhaps? The evil that resides within man and woman. Even amongst ourselves. Hence why some people are said to have strong moral compasses, while others are said to be amoral.
Still, I find eternal evil an interesting concept. In that, while normal people may have evil, but they do at least have the option to make moral decisions themselves. I do not think anyone can be wholly good. Or wholly evil. But they can get damn close, methinks.
On the other hand, a pure eternal evil being can be quite terrifying, if it ever existed and has sufficient abilities. This is something that manifests itself independantly. You cannot reason with it, for it does not care about law. You cannot negotiate with it, for in its mind there is no concept of what good is. At the end of the day, what this being may force is a conflict, perhaps an armed conflict. As someone said before, "War is wasteful, but the alternative is unacceptable."
Of course, evil may not be something objective at all, but for the sake of the line of thought above, I will just consider evil the typical definition - the social norm, at least.
nice to see you posting again
But it always boils down to the individual points of view, I suppose.
Example:
Good guy kills bad guy to save the world. The good guy saves the world, ergo he becomes the hero. The bad guys who survived see the -hero- as the bad guy, because he killed their companions.
Alternatively, the bad guy who wants to kill everyone and cleanse the world of these damn humans who do nothing but harm nature, may believe that what he is doing is for the best, good, and is the best solution.
If he wants to take over the world, he does it because he -wants- it. He would very much like to own the Earth, therefore he is doing something good for himself. And yet evil beings should only do ~evil things~.
A villain who murders person A, may be seen as a hero to person B, because B disliked A?
IDEK MAN
Then again, I might have misread your whole post.
Re: nice to see you posting again
What he was concerned, was something like say... the Demon King from FE8, or the Prime Evils from the Diablo series. They even recognise their opponents as 'good', I think, but they just do not care. Chaos and destructions and etc is the way for them.
no subject
And well done on that test!
no subject
In a situation like this, the opposite of self-preservation, one cannot really say it is the opposite of good, I think.
But, good point. It does bring about the question that can a supposed evil being even has morally neutral judgements?