Defining Evil

[Binyamin Tsadik]

What is Evil?
Evil is the Essence behind Evil action.

In other words Evil is the influence that causes Evil outcomes to Occur.

What is the Evil Influence?

All creatures must desire survival in order to Survive. Survival is what promotes evolution. Thus all Creatures that are alive today Desire Survival. Creatures that do not desire survival will die out and not survive.

There are 3 Root desires in survival

1. Desire for Nutrition
2. Desire for Reproduction
3. Desire to Avoid Harm (until successful reproduction occurs)

These 3 root desires further branch out into desires that promote the roots

1.Nutrition
Selfishness is an instinctual desire because those that are not selfish do not survive.
Hunger is an instinctual desire that promotes nutrition.

2. Reproduction
Sexual Desire is necissary for reproduction. Animals without an instinctual sexual desire do not reproduce and do not survive.

Alpha Male instinct is necissary to higher animal reproduction.
In the animal kingdom, only the Alpha male reproduces. Thus in order to reproduce an animal must be the Alpha male. Thus all animals must have the desire to be the Alpha male in order to Reproduce.
(Lions, Roosters, Monkeys... ETC)

The Alpha Male is usually establish through an Alpha battle. The Strongest male usually wins the battle and therefore the strongest seed is passed on to the next generation.

3. Avoiding Harm
Fear and Anger
Fear of Death survies
Anger comes to fight off threats

Territorial instincts are connected to all 3
Territory for Nutrition, Territory for Reproduction, and Territory for Safety

Instincts are not intrinsically evil but can lead to evil. One that wants Alpha status may do evil in order to attain that status and to Keep it. Megalomaniacs. Building weapons and stronger armies can be for Safety Purposes or for Alpha superiority purposes.

This is a brief explanation for the sake of the Forum.
Speak to me about receiving a copy of my book if you are interested in a more in-depth study and I will send you a PDF version or feel free to ask questions and I will gladly answer them

[Solace]

I'll reply to this here, because my reply is more suited to the religion section of this forum than to metaphysics.

To define evil I will first define good. God is good. Everything else is evil.

[Binyamin Tsadik]

Originally Posted by Solace

I'll reply to this here, because my reply is more suited to the religion section of this forum than to metaphysics.

To define evil I will first define good. God is good. Everything else is evil.

I dont mean to offend you, but your reply is a simple one. King Solomon says "Who is Righteous? The one who knows his Evil"
So clearly this simple answer is not enough to be Righteous. Actually I went into the trouble of defining evil and your simpleton answer is quite insulting.

You have also phrased your answer in a flawed manner. Saying that "God is Good" is one of 3 possible things that you did not specify.

God = Good (they are one and the same)
God is described as Good (this is one of his Qualities)
God is a part of Good (Good is made up of many components and God is one of them)

You can say God is the source of Good
But God is the source of everything, so therefore he must be the source of Good.
God is also the source of evil for that matter. Evil is a creation like any other but it serves a necissary purpose to creation.

What is Good.. Perfection is Good

In hebrew there are too words for Good
"Tov" and "Keddai"
"Keddai" means something is good for you.
Example: It is "Keddai" that you dont insult the intelligence of other people by posting a simpleton message.

Then you go and make a blanket statement saying "Everything Else is Evil"
What does that mean?
I am not God, therefore I am Evil?
The rock outside must be evil because it is not God.

The Torah states "There is nothing other than Him"
So if everything is Him then everything must be Good and there must not actually be any Evil at all!

What about actions. There are many non-beleivers that go and do Good actions all the time. They don't do it for the sake of God, does that make all of their actions evil?
If I did 100 random actions what are the chances that one of them will be good and one of them will be evil?

Please, next time go and actually read my post and then comment

[Solace]

I read your post, and like everything else that you're saying, it was meaningless. What I provided was a simpleton's answer, in that you were right. But it was also the only answer. If you really understood anything about God, you would know it.

Qualifying or quantifying actions as good or evil is simply a state of dillusion. You quote the Torah and you have no clue what it means. "There is nothing other than Him." Only God exists. Everything else is a lie. Lies are evil. If you understood these things you wouldn't go around looking for confrontation simply for confrontation's sake.

[kennethamy]

Originally Posted by Binyamin Tsadik

In other words Evil is the influence that causes Evil outcomes to Occur.


Selfishness is an instinctual desire because those that are not selfish do not survive.

If that is your definition of "Evil" it is not helpful because it is circular.

There are a good many unselfish people who do survive. In fact, most people.

[jgweed]

Argumentum ad personam has no place in a philosophical discussion, and should be avoided.

[Binyamin Tsadik]

Originally Posted by kennethamy

There are a good many unselfish people who do survive. In fact, most people.

Selfishness is not absoluteness, it is a gradient.
If you were truely unselfish you would give all of your food to the poor and die of starvation.

But you must eat to survive thus you eat. That is selfish. It is not overly selfish and not evil.

Read the post about the RAMBAM's definition of the soul. He states that all character traits have two extremes and a center. The perfect balance is in the middle. Evil is when the desires are unbalanced.

If you are too selfish that is evil, if you are too generous that is also evil (evil to yourself).

Understand?

[Binyamin Tsadik]

Originally Posted by Solace

I read your post, and like everything else that you're saying, it was meaningless. What I provided was a simpleton's answer, in that you were right. But it was also the only answer. If you really understood anything about God, you would know it.

Qualifying or quantifying actions as good or evil is simply a state of dillusion. You quote the Torah and you have no clue what it means. "There is nothing other than Him." Only God exists. Everything else is a lie. Lies are evil. If you understood these things you wouldn't go around looking for confrontation simply for confrontation's sake.

I know what you are saying is true, but if you want to boil everything down to "everything is God" then there is nothing to talk about. How is everything God? What was God's intent? Why?

"Ain Od Milvado" Translated as "there is nothing other than Him" Means that everything is a part of him.
The Gemara states "Hu Lo Makom BeOlam HaOlam Makom Bo"
Translated as "He is not a place in the world, the world is a place in Him"

Evil was created by him as written in Psalms "He Creates Evil"

The question is why? And what is this Evil he created?
Are we not in a Philosophy Forum where we are encouraged to ask questions and discuss?

I didnt go looking for Confrontation, Confrontation came at my front door and his name is Solace. A Hippocrate points at his neighbour when he is to blame.

"Tov" translated to Good implies perfection.
"Ra" Translated to Evil implies imperfection.

Thus actions can be qualified as Tov or Ra. Not all actions. Some actions are meaningless, such as this discussion which is why I will end it here before I waste any more of my time.

[Solace]

You're far too easily riled, Binyamin. My original post in this thread contained nothing that was confrontational and you know this. The post was an over-simplification of the themes you wanted to explore, I won't deny that. But I recall reading somewhere in another thread a post that you made pointing out that if one cannot examine the basic then they can't hope to understand the more advanced. Well, all I did was state the basic, which you acknowledge above to be true.

Allow me to apologize for my second post. I could have chosen words that were less confrontational to make my point. But I am not your enemy. Debate is not war. If you feel that my manner or point of debate is not to your interest, then just ignore it. You wouldn't be the first to ignore me. It's all on the level if you just take it that way.

[Binyamin Tsadik]

Originally Posted by Solace

You're far too easily riled, Binyamin. My original post in this thread contained nothing that was confrontational and you know this. The post was an over-simplification of the themes you wanted to explore, I won't deny that. But I recall reading somewhere in another thread a post that you made pointing out that if one cannot examine the basic then they can't hope to understand the more advanced. Well, all I did was state the basic, which you acknowledge above to be true.

Allow me to apologize for my second post. I could have chosen words that were less confrontational to make my point. But I am not your enemy. Debate is not war. If you feel that my manner or point of debate is not to your interest, then just ignore it. You wouldn't be the first to ignore me. It's all on the level if you just take it that way.

I thank you for your appology and I also appologise for my comments.
I didn't really get riled up, I was just defending against your statements and throwing in some low blows along the way.
If you truely think that my posts are meaningless then you are also welcome to ignore me. But I hope that you find something to say and discuss with me about the topic. What is evil in your oppinion? Do you disagree with the definition in the Metaphysics section? Do you have anything to add?