Thoughts 7/27/2006 July 27, 2006
Posted by Kelsey Martineau in Philosophy.Tags: Philosophy
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Is evil a point of view? To an extent I think so. I think that we know the difference between good and evil as humans. I mean let’s face it, there are things that have been done throughout history that have to make people stop and say, my gosh he was an evil man. Hitler, Stalin, Caligula, I mean I could continue the list on on and on, and every single person I named would be deemed evil by anyone in their right mind. There are some things that I just don’t believe are justifiable by nature, no matter what. I think we can be taught otherwise though. I think brainwashing is easier than most people think. I think that our natural God given instincts can be reprogrammed, and I think that happens quite a bit. So from that particular person’s point of view, they are doing what is right, and the inherently good people are the evil ones, in their eyes.
Palpatine’s “evil is a point of view” speech is a perfect example. He had Anakin convinced that the Jedi were evil and the sith were the ones trying to bring order, and any normal person can see the logic there. Of course I’ve touched on that topic before though. Was Palpatine right though? No I don’t think so, because as a moral person I see a major problem with it. Anyone can look at that situation and feel sorry for Anakin/Vader.
I think that the world is simply becoming more and more corrupt. I think it’s desensitizing, and it really is a sad thing. Most people will disagree though, but it’s simply because they can’t see it. Compare television/music/entertainment now to twenty years ago, or heck, even ten years ago for that matter. Things are a lot different now. The world is on a downhill path in my opinion.
Some things just can’t be justified. Does that mean war is wrong? Not necessarily, but is it always necessary? I don’t think so. I think mankind also has a killer instinct. It’s savage like in my opinion. But in summarizing, I believe we are born with instincts on right versus wrong. I believe that we can eliminate those instincts in we wish, but I look at them as a gift.
These things seem to change with time. For example, if a modern person looks back on the Roman Empire and sees some of the things they did…orgies, crucifiction, genocide,and slavery, they will automatically say “man they were corrupt and evil.” However, these were simply parts of everyday life to Romans. They would look at us strangly for our beliefs such as civil rights and other stuff. Thats why I would disagree that the world is any worse now than before. At least we don’t go out and boil people alive, crucify them, or burn them at the stake like we did in the Middle Ages. Compared to those eras….I would say we are doing quite well for ourselves.
Didn’t say it was worse now than before. I simply said it’s on a downhill path. Granted things change and fluxuate over time, but modern America is on a decline should have been the statement. But I do agree with you, things used to be really messed up!