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Good cannot exist without evil.

Discussion in 'Philosophy' started by Amos14, Feb 25, 2018.

  1. Amos14

    Amos14 New Member

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    I noticed that a lot of people who are asked "why does evil exist?" respond with this answer. They want to justify the existence of evil as something that is necessary because without it there would be no way to know what goodness is. In my opinion this is a flawed argument but haven't found many good arguments to refute it. What is your take on this assertion? Is this argument flawed? What about the argument "There can be no evil without good."
     
  2. Paufa

    Paufa New Member

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    Maybe in many ways, good is a relative concept. Good might mean something different in different contexts. If someone gave you a bottle of water right now, you might think that they are a nice person. But if someone gave you a bottle of water when you are dying of thirst, you might think he or she is the greatest person that ever walked this earth. Maybe in reality evil is only different levels of good. Or maybe good is just different levels of evil.
     
  3. Wikdfury

    Wikdfury New Member

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    You can know good without evil to compare it to. Good should be the norm in all societies but sadly it is not. I believe you can find a way to respect each other and do good without evil but that's just my opinion on the matter. As for an argument, without evil there is only good.
     
  4. zapharia

    zapharia New Member

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    Good is subjective, as well as evil. You need something to contrast and compare an experience to evaluate it. If we did not have evil, all "good" things right now would just be expected, and neutral. Because good is positive and bad is negative, you need something in the middle to set a boundary. This makes good and evil different to everyone depending on their morals, life experiences, and mental states. Therefore, I think good could not exist without evil.
     
  5. PARAG

    PARAG New Member

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    Well good can exist without evil .In fact when good things happen around you, all the evilness and the bad things around you completely vanish .Wherever there is peace and positivity , the evilness and negativity cannot exist there .This doesn't mean that there is no evilness or negativity around us. We constantly have to fight this negativity, even within ourselves to bring out the positivity and achieve our goals in life.
     
  6. Meshack Bwoyele Keya

    Meshack Bwoyele Keya New Member

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    Evil exists. Good exists. With evil, there is the devil and with good there is God. They co-exist. We have always to have a choice.
     
  7. mosesoscar

    mosesoscar New Member

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    The truth can go both ways. Both in what we see in reality, it seems what we see in the universe favors evils not being able to exist without good.

    Here's what I mean, in real life good is more objective than evil is. Good is good, evil not withstanding; but evil, which is just a pervation of good, cannot exist without there being good in the first place.

    I love to see evil as a hole in a shirt. That hole, which is a fault, becomes something because of the already existing shirt —and in this case good
     
  8. amethyst

    amethyst New Member

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    This could be related to the principle of Yin and Yang. The philosophy that states that everything exists with opposites and contradictions which in turn correlates with each other. My perception on this is that neither good nor evil exists without the other. Either one is a result of the other. Evil exists because there is good and so as good exists as a result of evil. Their mere existence is a proof that they coexisted and are interrelated. How would we know if something is good if we have not known evil and vise versa. However at the end of it all, we are the ones who define good and evil so it is subjective.
     
  9. Mr.Lewis

    Mr.Lewis New Member

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    Being human beings, our lives are in a constant state of equilibrium. One can define a human being between the body, the soul, and the spirit; all three are of unique properties and have different effects upon human nature. The body desires the resources to sustain and please itself. This includes lust, greed, and desire. In a sense, the body could be viewed as the "bad side" due to the negative traits it brings upon human beings. The spirit on the other hand, relishes upon the emotions of being appreciative, joy, and to certain people religion. Thus the spirit could be considered as the "good side" due to its positive upbringings. Lastly the soul is considered as the "logic". The soul is the deciding factor upon all events and its decision to choose between good and evil. Thus we have come to the conclusion that good cannot exist without evil being considered as a factor. But we or "the soul" has the ability to reduce the "evil" and to input more positive energy into everything we do.
     
  10. nick124

    nick124 New Member

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    My personal belief is that good and evil are both measures of our feelings about a subject matter, like zapharia's argument. What's more, my definition of existence demands that whatever exists can exert itself upon the physical world. This means that neither good nor evil exist in and of themselves. It doesn't mean that nothing is good or evil, but that when we call something good or evil, we are making a statement about that way we view the thing and not about the thing, itself. Technically, you could claim that good exists in a world without evil by arguing a different definition for existence and that a person could possibly value everything that they have seen positively.

    Another way to make the argument is through the Euthyphro dilemma. Socrates asked whether piety is that which is loved by the gods or that the gods love it because it's pious. Translated into a monotheistic perspective, one could ask, "is good what God commands or does God command it because it's good?" If you take the former, you can claim that it would be possible for God to call everything good and nothing evil. By doing so, you commit yourself to claiming that God chose for evil to exist by some means.
     
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2019

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