...In Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God , Marilyn McCord Adams uses another kind of defense for theism. In this reading Adams argues that the problem of evil has been directed at theism in general, which in this case has caused readers on either side of the debate to miss how important and how unique Christianity is to the problem of horrendous evils on this view. She argues that Christianity has a variety of unique tools that can meet the problem of evil more effectively when not abstracted into simply classical theism. Adams’ account has the kind of honest, penetrating discussion of real evil in our world about which philosophy would do well to take notice. The little child kidnapped and murdered; the innocent family killed by the drunk driver; the millions murdered by Hitler; these examples all demand answers for the individual occurrences of evil, according to Adams Specifically, she writes that At a minimum, God’s goodness to human individuals would require that God guarantee each a life that was a great good to him/her on the whole… God would have to… [give each person's life value]… by giving it positive meaning through… great enough good within the context of his/her life” (31, emphasis hers). This stunning claim will likely make the theistic philosopher rock back on his/her heels for a moment. Surely, we cannot be called to account for every individual evil! Adams believes that the Christian theist can indeed do so, not by taking the unconvincing route of arguing...
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...The Coexistence of Good and Evil The first couple paragraphs of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s, “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” presents a family who has been dealt with a delirious old man with wings that showed up in their courtyard. Pelayo and his wife Elisenda had been dealing with an immense amount of crabs inside their house at the time and a sickly child who has had a temperature all night and had thought it was due to the stench brought on by the crabs. The couple had then reached out to their neighbor women who “knew everything about life and death” (590). The woman had explained to them that he was an angel who had been defeated by the storm and was there to take the child’s soul away. She advised Pelayo and his wife to club him to death but instead, they had dragged him out of the mud and locked him in a chicken coop where the hens live. The sickly child’s fever had vanished and had an appetite again shortly after the old man’s arrival. The family soon realized they could make a profit by charging admission because of all the attraction that this old man with enormous wings has brought. Though this old man was held captive throughout the entire story, many good things had happened during his presence. There are many key symbols in this short story by author Gabriel Marquez that allow me to believe both good and evil co-exist. The story begins with a dark setting by describing the most dreadful occurrences one could endure. One of the first occurrences described was...
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...The Help: Character, Dignity and Self-Respect Rachael L. Tuminski PHI2000 Character, Dignity and Self-respect Paper Capella University February, 2015 Abstract: This paper will examine the parallels and give examples of the teachings of Aristotle, Epictetus and St. Augustine, using the motion picture The Help directed by Tate Taylor. Introduction What gives human beings their character, dignity and self-respect? What makes up them up in humans? Aristotle, St. Augustine, and Epictetus all attempted to answer this very question examining human nature very closely. Aristotle took on the subject of character; Epictetus took on the topic of dignity and St. Augustine the topic of self-respect. In the movie The Help directed by Tate Taylor each of these reasoning’s can be addressed in detail and example. Aristotle and Character Aristotle approached the subject of the virtuous character like this; the soul is in two halves one being the rational and the other being the non-rational. His definition is best discussed in Nicomachean Ethics II.7: “Excellence [of character], then, is a state concerned with choice, lying in a mean relative to us, this being determined by reason and in the way in which the man of practical wisdom would determine it. Now it is a mean between two vices, that which depends on excess and that which depends on defect.” (1106b36–1107a3) An example of this in The Help is in the character of Skeeter Phelan; in the movie Skeeter has come back home...
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...What is Good and what is Evil? Recently while I was surfing Pinterest, I ran across an e-card that quoted Einstein: “God did not create evil. Just as darkness is the absence of light, evil is the absence of God.” This brings me to the question of what is good and what is evil. Good versus Evil is a very subjective topic. I believe what is good and what is evil are based on my beliefs as a Christian and the scriptures of the Bible. In my opinion, good is having the acts and characteristics of God and in contrast, evil is the opposite of good or as Einstein stated: “evil is the absence of God.” To begin with, good is a characteristic of God. For instance, the Holy Bible describes God as love (John 4:8), great, powerful, glorified, victorious and majestic (1Chronicles 29:11 ); all of these can be synonymous with good. In the epistle to the Romans, chapter 8 explained that those who love God will have all things work together for good according to God’s purpose. When a person obtains the same characteristics and acts of God, they become endeavored with noble and righteous characteristics that are based on the unmerited favor of God’s grace. An example of this is the story of Joseph in Genesis. Joseph was greatly loved by his father and was given a coat of many colors as a gift of love. His brothers became envious of Joseph’s special treatment from their father. Joseph’s brothers sold Joseph as a slave. During his time in slavery, God blessed Joseph with ability to...
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...Good Vs. Evil In Beowulf, the conflict between good and evil is the poem's main and most important aspect. The poet makes it clear that good and evil doesn’t exist as only opposites, but that both qualities are present in everyone. Beowulf represents the ability to do good or to perform acts selflessly and in help of others. Goodness is also showed throughout this epic as having the ability to cleanse evil. Even though evil is presented by Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon, who are filled with a desire to act against people and ultimately destroy them, even pride, a human quality, is presented in Beowulf as a sign that evil exists. This story might even be considered a classic because it mainly talks about the old fashion good vs. evil, hero vs. villain. Beowulf and the three monsters show the significant difference between good and evil, and why god will always prevail. At the beginning of the play, one reads about Grendel, who is a man eating monster who is feared by everyone. Grendel represents sin and evil throughout the story in various ways. Evil is first shown by the monster Grendel when, “Suddenly then the God-cursed brute was creating havoc: greedy and grim, he grabbed thirty men from their resting places and rushed to his lair”. (Beowulf 120-124). Grendel lives in the darkness and has absolutely no remorse on human life. This shows a very big quality of an evil being and how the Anglo-Saxons viewed evil in forms of monsters. Evil is also thought to be greedy...
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...View of Good and Evil: Hinduism and Jainism Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation View of Good and Evil: Hinduism and Jainism Good and evil are seen as forces that compete for dominance in a person and the world. Sometimes there is an ethnocentric idea that ‘our’ group is the good one, and all outsiders are ‘evil’. This approach can lead to wars and conflicts. These beliefs also vary from one religion to another. In addition, they differ in their views on the cause of evil and good in the world. This essay will discuss this view based on the Hinduism and the Jainism beliefs. Hinduism The Hindus believe that every action, good or evil, has consequences. Pain, suffering, and evil are not imposed by God; rather they are due to the actions of anyone else. They also believe that good happens due to the good deeds of human beings (Doniger, 1976). According to them, things happen because the law of Karma that states that for every action, there is a resultant consequence (Doniger, 1976). They believe that one cannot conduct an evil and get away with it without punishment. They also believe that people may be either rewarded or punished for their deeds in the next lie. It happens in the event that one does not receive it in this world. Alternatively, they are happening now because of the actions that one executed in a previous life. They believe that God is not blemish and that He is not the cause of evil and suffering in the world. According to them, man was...
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...In Philosophy Club today we talked about evil, mainly pulling from the ideas of Augustine. I asked the question “What is evil?”, and nobody really had a clear explanation. To answer this question we had to bring up good, and what people's perception of good and evil were. Tying in ideas from Augustine’s Confessions. Hitler killed many Jews, but it may be possible that Hitler believed what he was doing was right. German society believed that Jews should be terminated so to them what they were doing was for the good. Our nation's perception and our influences that make us believe Hitler’s genocide of the Jews was bad that it seems to be an act of evil in our eyes. Perception is a huge part of how we interpret evil. Is killing right or wrong?...
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...The idea that "there would be no good without evil" is a good place to start when thinking about Iago and Othello as rival characters in Shakespeare's Othello. The play shows us how good turns into evil in the complex character of Othello, who turns out to be more than a victim of Iago's wrongdoings but also a character who is both good and evil. In Shakespeare's play evil is not something absolute. Evil demonstrates itself as a different quality with each person, perhaps the point when a person forgets moral boundaries and gives way to instincts beyond his or her control. With Othello and Iago, Shakespeare uses characters who bring out opposite qualities in each other. We can imagine circumstances in which goodness can sprout out of evil. However, in Othello's case, the roles are reversed and evil sprouts from goodness. At what point does goodness become evil? Are they boundaries that can be passed, or are the qualities of a character's own judgement? We'll start out with the protagonist. The audience's expectations of Othello are lowered at the start of Act I when Iago presents him as a fiend who steals Desdemona away from her father using magic and enchantments. Later we discover Cassio's and Desdemona's far more elevated views of Othello. We learn about his previous life and not much mystery is involved in discovering what sort of man he is. Othello is not devoid of faults. He is prejudiced, jealous, and most importantly easily manipulated by Iago's schemes. Something...
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...In Hamlet, Claudius, the antagonist in the play, is considered to be an evil character. For it is Claudius that killed Hamlet’s father. On the other hand, Hamlet, the protagonist, is considered to be the good character that seems to be trying to avenge his father’s murder. On the other hand, in Lyrical Ballads, the poem “Goody Blake and Harry Gill” Harry Gill is considered to be evil because he scared a poor lady that was just trying to get warm from the cold weather. Can we characterize the previous characters as good or evil? Can we actually categorize specific actions as good or evil? I believe we can not do so. It is because people have their own perspectives on what is virtue and what is not. For example, Alcohol consumption in western...
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...“Good and Evil in Religion” Week 10 Assignment 1: World View Chart Writing Assignment REL212-World Religion V Ware Monday September 8, 2014 As we study the world religion, we can review many different concepts of each of them. We can look and compare the concept of human nature, salvation, views of after life if any, varies practices and rituals, even the celebration and festivals. One thing that I noticed over the last ten (10) weeks of studying religion is that every religion as a view towards Good and Evil. The views may not be exact but there are some form of concept with good and evil in them all. We studied in details approximately eleven (11) different religions over the course of this class. Of the total religions, we found that only one of them had a witchcraft and healing view towards good and evil. This was the study of Indigenous people. The Indigenous people have a timeline of before 2000 BCE and ancient ways passed down and adapted over millennia. (Fisher, 2014) There were three (3) religions which believed in the concept of Karma. Jainism and Hinduism had a view of Karma which means actions, and also the consequences of actions. It states that every act we make, even thought, desire will shape our future. (Fisher, 2014) However Buddhism believes in Karma which is defined slightly different because “it is the action of body, speech, and mind impressions of our virtuous and non virtuous action which experiences moment by moment...
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...Represent traditional moral views, causing a constant juxtaposition between their statements through their symmetrical statements. ‘Sweet Faustus, think of heaven, and heavenly things’ ‘No, Faustus, think of honour and wealth’ Repeatedly interject the play when Faustus is making decisions. This allows the audience to see and experience the decisions and choices that Faustus makes, leading them to form a judgement. However, it also perhaps adds to the audience’s frustration of Faustus as it adds to his frustrating changeability and makes the bad decisions he makes seem worse. ‘Faustus repent, yet God will pity thee’ ‘Thou art a spirit, God cannot pity thee’ LEADS TO FAUSTUS SAYING ‘Who buzzeth in mine ears I am a spirit? Be I a devil, yet God may pity me. Ay, God will pity me if I repent’ However, there is ambiguity as to what the angels are/represent. Some have argued that they are separate characters yet others say that they are Faustus’ inner turmoil and thoughts, giving the audience an insight into his inner psychology. ‘O Faustus, lay that damned book aside, And gaze not on it, lest it tempt thy soul And heap God’s heavy wrath upon thy head: Read, read the Scriptures; that is blasphemy’ ‘Go forward, Faustus, in that famous art, Wherein all nature’s treasury is contained: Be thou on earth as Jove is in the sky, Lord and commander of these elements.’ Because we repeatedly come up throughout the play, we are allowed to see the importance of their...
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...There’s evil within every one of us but is everyone born or created evil? In the novels Brighton Rock published in 1938 by Graham Greene and East of Eden published in 1952 by John Steinbeck the theme good vs evil incorporated into their plot and characters. Each novel consists of a protagonist that acts as the good in the novel while the antagonist is portrayed as evil resulting is character conflicts throughout the story. Using the Psychoanalytic lens the reader can analyse the personalities and the behaviour of the antagonists to determine that evil is created not born. The antagonists prove this by their violent behaviours shown, Their mentality and lifestyle and by demonstrating how everyone starts off good but they can slowly turn evil...
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...The Universal Theme of Beowulf: Good VS. Evil Dragons, witches, ghosts, aliens, or just ordinary folks: in most stories there’s a good force and an evil force that battle each other. This one of the most commons themes in literature and has been all throughout history. The universal theme Good versus Evil is presented in Beowulf, in which good always wins. “With envy and anger an evil spirit/endured the dole in his dark abode”(I, 35-36) Grendel, one of the main characters of Beowulf, is described as angry and jealous. This creates in him the spirit of evil. He is also described in, “till one(Grendel) began/ to fashion evils, that fiend of Hell./ Grendel this monster grim was called,/march-reiver mighty, in moorland living,/ in fen and...
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...The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Good versus evil, the primary plot to numerous literary genres, is concretely displayed in every Western text. Whether it is cowboys versus Indians, the law versus outlaws, or cattlemen versus cattle rustlers, the audience always sides with one side, and it is always the side of “good”. The Western genre is carefully crafted to influence the audience in siding with a certain character. Authors and directors develop distinct yet similar characters to show the relationship between good and evil. In general, the respectable guys consist of the hero, generally cowboy, and his woman. The hero is written in as a complex character with several sides to resonate with a wider variety of readers/watchers....
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...between good and evil? Have you ever thought about why no ever really talks about it? The difference between good and evil is that they are quality judgments, just like hot and cold, light and dark, and near and far are quality judgments. Quality judgments are evaluations that we humans make relative to our own experience as human beings. Hot is what is hot to us. Far is what is far to us. Good is what is good to us. Evil is what is bad to us. Good and evil are quality judgments that we make relative to ourselves and our experiences here on Earth. But if good and evil are quality judgments, what's the quantity being judged? And what's the phenomena being quantified? At a glance I would say that the quantity that good and evil qualify is morality. Good and evil are moral evaluations, so morality is the scale being used to quantify the phenomena. And if morality is a scale we are using to quantify a phenomenon, then the phenomena would by definition be human behavior, as morality applies only to human behavior. Or to view it from the other way round, there is a perceived phenomenon that we define as human behavior. We measure the range of that behavior using morality as our scale, and we qualify this range of morality as being good or evil depending upon how it affects us experientially. So essentially, then, good and evil are quality judgments passed by ourselves, relative to ourselves, about ourselves. Some of us are really not going to like this idea: that good and evil are...
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