On the Origin of Evil - 1858 Words

On the Origin of Evil Where does evil come from? This is a question that I find most interesting. In our modern day civilization educated by liberal institutions everybody speaks as if they are certain of what evil is. So what is it? At first glance the thing that sticks out to me when I hear this question is: Asking where evil comes from is like asking where hunger comes from. Where does the desire for procreation, for sexual reproduction come from? Is a lion evil? I am sure it could be viewed as such in the eyes of a gazelle. Lions kill other lions indiscriminately. They will kill young and old alike in competition for food, mates, or territory. Should every creature have the disposition of a humble lamb? Is a human being killing†¦show more content†¦For their position of power also included the power over words, the power to decide what was called good or bad. As Nietzsche states in the first essay of On the Genealogy of Morals, â€Å"Good and Evil†, â€Å"Good an d Bad†, â€Å"it was out of this pathos of distance that they first seized the right to create values and to coin names for values: what had they to do with utility! The viewpoint of utility is as remote and inappropriate as it possibly could be in face of such a burning eruption of the highest rank-ordering, rank defining value judgments: for here feeling has attained the antithesis of that low degree of warmth which any calculating prudence, any calculus of utility, presupposes- and not for once only, not for an exceptional hour, but for good. The pathos of nobility and distance, as aforesaid, the protracted and domineering total feeling on the part of a higher ruling order in relation to a lower order, to a below that is the origin of the antithesis good and bad† (On the Genealogy of Morals). If this is the origin of the terms â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad†, then the question arises: From whence then did the concept â€Å"evil† originate? To answer this question we must once again travel back to Rome. In Rome there existed two classes that were in competition for power: the warrior class and the Judea religious class, the priests. In this competition the priestly class cannot win byShow MoreRelatedSearch For The Origins Of Evil2011 Words   |  9 Pages Searching for the origins of evil is one of history’s most difficult problems. While there are varying answers and approaches to the answer, we know that evil does not exist as a singular substance within the universe, therefore making determining the origins of evil more complicated and contentious. Throughout history, many ideas and narratives have been told that attempt to justify the existence of evil within the world. Stories range from evil being released through Pandora’s box to it ex istingRead MoreExplaining the Origins and Evils of Society in Second Treatise of Government by Locke and Discourse on the Origin of Inequality by Rousseau1033 Words   |  5 PagesSecond Treatise of Government by John Locke and Discourse on the Origin of Inequality by Jean-Jacques Rousseau are books written to try and explain the origin of society. Both try to explain the evils and inequalities of society, and to a certain degree to discuss whether man in his natural state is better than man in society. These political science based theories do not appear, at first, to have anything in common with J. Hector St. John De Crà ¨vecoeur’s Letters from an American Farmer, whichRead MoreThe Origin Of Good And Evil By Richard Taylor And Why Morality Is Not Relative By James Rachels1741 Words   |  7 PagesUsing two articles â€Å"On the Origin of Good and Evil† by Richard Taylor and â€Å"Why Morality Is Not Relative† by James Rachels from the book Moral Life: An Introductory Reader in Ethics and Literature, author, Louis P. Pojman and Lewis Vaughn, this essay will first try to identify what each of two articles says about the nature of good and evil, and is everything on morality is relative. Taylor from the article â€Å"On the Origin of Good and Evil†, states that morality is not inspirational, but a naturalRead MoreNietzsche s On The Genealogy Of Morals1668 Words   |  7 Pagescreating these original definitions of good bad and evil, master morality and slave morality. I will also use Nietzsche’s concept of â€Å"will to power† to evaluate each of these ideas. Nietzsche believes that the will to power is the force that pushes humankind. To clarify for my readers, I’m looking to separate deontology from virtue ethics to improve my own understanding of good and bad not as what is right or wrong. In Nietzsche’s essay â€Å"Good and Evil,† â€Å"Good and Bad† there are two main types of mortalityRead MoreThe Physical Pain, Mental Suffering, and Moral Wickedness of Evil1533 Words   |  6 Pages Evil refers to physical pain, mental suffering and moral wickedness. This pain includes such major scourges as poverty, oppression, persecution, war, all injustice, indignity and inequality that occur in human societies. It is however, important to note that although a great deal of pain and suffering are caused by human action, there is much more that arises from natural causes as bacteria and earthquakes, storm, fire, lightening, flood and drought. Another type of evil that can be identifiedRead MoreRepresentation of Evil in Poe and Hawthornes Stories Essay979 Words   |  4 PagesThe Evil Presence Since the discovery of philosophy by the Greek civilizations man has always tried to find the cause of many fundamental problems that are connected to the reality and existence of factors that contribute to these dilemmas but still remain unknown to humanity. One of the most controversial questions philosophy tries to answer is the origin of what we consider evil, who or what is connected to the main cause of the pain and suffering that goes on throughout the world. â€Å"Evil isRead MoreThe Importance Of Evil In Truman Capotes In Cold Blood1405 Words   |  6 PagesFrom bullying to crime to terrorism and more, evil takes on many forms in today’s society. Such evil has many adverse effects, sometimes including the deaths of innocent people. As only harm can come from malevolence, one begins to wonder whether or not such acts are simply a part of human nature. After all, it does not make much moral sense for someone to intentionally stir chaos. However, when exploring where evil truly stems from, one finds that it may be deeply rooted in the environment TrumanRead MoreThe Problem of Evil: Augustine and Irenaeus Essay757 Words   |  4 Pagesfrom that of Augustine. One of the main arguments used by non-believers against the existence of God is the presence of evil and suffering in the world. The term ‘evil’ is often used to describe something that is morally wrong. Philosophers make a distinction between moral evil and natural evil. Moral evil results from human actions that are morally reproachable, and Natural evil results from the malfunctioning of the natural world, which produces entities such as disease and famine. St AugustineRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1156 Words   |  5 Pagesfar, the most successful. The Scarlet Letter is an engaging and decisive work defined by Hawthorne’s use of symbolism. He used the symbols often throughout the book to create different themes. One of the key themes is that the definition of good and evil are subject to the varying viewpoints of certain people or groups of people and this is clear through the use of multiple symbols and characters. The very first symbol to appear in the novel is the red rose. Hawthorne uses the rose bush to symbolizeRead MoreProblem of Evil1614 Words   |  7 PagesThe Problem Of Evil There are many events throughout the world that occur, that we cannot explain. The evils that exist are moral and non-moral evils. The moral evils that exist are poverty, oppression, persecution, war and injustice. The non-moral evils that occur frequently but not usually on a daily basis are earthquakes, hurricanes, storms, flood, drought, and blight (philosophy. Lander.edu/intro/hick.stml). These evils happen with thousands of people dying daily for no reason. The problem