DEBATE: What is evil, really?

[<3Sari<3]

I think doing "evil" things is a natural part of life and cant be stopped, even if you meant well its not your opinion that matters its the opinions of the people who judge you that will be remembered.
For example if someone is about to hurt a child they may be intent on evil but they havent actually done evil so killing them would be evil itself.

ok..what if you happen upon a person who is in teh middle of hurting said child...and you stop him by harming/killing him (whatever means necessary). it would be hard to call that evil in my opinion

[imnothere]

ok..what if you happen upon a person who is in teh middle of hurting said child...and you stop him by harming/killing him (whatever means necessary). it would be hard to call that evil in my opinion

in stoping them do you let vengance rule you momentarly and go beyone nessacary means? if so i could call that evil.

[<3Sari<3]

in stoping them do you let vengance rule you momentarly and go beyone nessacary means? if so i could call that evil.

hmmm lol would be hard to call..how much would you want to hurt someone if you caught them harming your child..but no in my example i meant just to stop them...when of course they can fight back etc. hard to set a limit on how far you would need to go...oy!

[TCWNME]

hmmm lol would be hard to call..how much would you want to hurt someone if you caught them harming your child..but no in my example i meant just to stop them...when of course they can fight back etc. hard to set a limit on how far you would need to go...oy!

Exactly, these people will recognise they have done evil things and will do what it takes to keep it a secret even if they have to kill you to do it so killing them may be the only answer.

[<3Sari<3]

right....but then is defending urself from them murdering you really evil??? I think it's a very fine line and like Imnothere said, crossing that line would make you evil...and to know when you are crossing it would probably be very hard.

[Alusair]

I would say that evil, like probably most intangible concepts, is very subjective. It can be a definable term, but only amongst similar perspectives.

I suppose some could say that committing an act for self-betterment at the expense of others is a core definition of evil. The degree of evilness would come down to severity of the act or acts in question.

There can be some acts considered ruthless or cruel to some perceivers, but are not necessarily inherently evil if a selfless goal fuels the act or acts in question. You could say the view of these sorts of situations comes down to the eye of the beholder.

[TCWNME]

I would say its perfectly okay to kill in defence, but defining if it was evil to do so depends on what the person then thinks of what they have done and what they choose to do next.

[imnothere]

the line that you cross is hate. untill i cross that line i have a magnanomous tollerance and ability to forgive. but once i cross that line i feel the difrence in the very air i breath. fortuantly for me i have only crossed it a few times in my life. for i hate the way i feel when i hate. and i know intamatly the truth of the statment that when you hate you damage your self more then others.
even then i restrain my self more then i would like to.

[<3Sari<3]

I would say that evil, like probably most intangible concepts, is very subjective. It can be a definable term, but only amongst similar perspectives.

I suppose some could say that committing an act for self-betterment at the expense of others is a core definition of evil. The degree of evilness would come down to severity of the act or acts in question.

There can be some acts considered ruthless or cruel to some perceivers, but are not necessarily inherently evil if a selfless goal fuels the act or acts in question. You could say the view of these sorts of situations comes down to the eye of the beholder.

Very eloquently put!
A good example is someone like Adolf Hitler. Most people today would probably categorize him as an evil person...but in his own mind...he could have truly believed what he was doing was for the betterment of his people...it is extremely subjective and depends greatly on the point of view of each person.

[imnothere]

Very eloquently put!
A good example is someone like Adolf Hitler. Most people today would probably categorize him as an evil person...but in his own mind...he could have truly believed what he was doing was for the betterment of his people...it is extremely subjective and depends greatly on the point of view of each person.

your not really saying Hitler wasnt evil because he didnt believe he was are you? my mind cant even fathom that.

for that to be so all a person would have to do is to not believe them selves evil to get away with the most awful atrocities imaginable. i can not agree at all with that statment.