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> Evil is relative. Sincere question: Can you explain what you mean by that?

ThrowawayR2 7y ago
Not the parent poster but how about meat consumption? A number of people think eating meat is evil and it's undeniable that animals are harmed in the process of producing meat for food. Is eating meat an absolute evil (people should universally agree that it's evil) or a relative one (it's permitted for people hold differing opinions on whether it is evil)?
- DoofusOfDeath 7y ago
  Thanks. It seems like small details of phrasing have a lot of significance on this topic. For example: > Is eating meat an absolute evil (people should universally agree that it's evil) or a relative one (it's permitted for people hold differing opinions on whether it is evil)? That seems to suggest a two-tier system of ethics. At one level, and act is considered conditionally evil depending on the viewpoint of the person committing the act. But implicitly there seems to be another level at play: the universal applicability of good/evil being relative to each individual's belief system. Gah... I really regret not taking some philosophy courses in college. I'm sure this issue has been covered ad nauseum for at least 3000 years.
  - ThrowawayR2 7y ago
    > "Gah... I really regret not taking some philosophy courses in college. I'm sure this issue has been covered ad nauseum for at least 3000 years." It's 2020; there's a website for everything. Try going to https://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_ethics.html https://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_ethics.html and scroll a couple of paragraphs down to the "An alternative division of meta-ethical views is between:" and dive into the links there.
TedDoesntTalk 7y ago
Simply that each of us define evil differently. What is evil to one may not be evil to another. I'm not talking about extremes like murder, but for example capitalism or communism. Or writing code for the department of defense.

Not the parent poster but how about meat consumption? A number of people think eating meat is evil and it's undeniable that animals are harmed in the process of producing meat for food. Is eating meat an absolute evil (people should universally agree that it's evil) or a relative one (it's permitted for people hold differing opinions on whether it is evil)?

DoofusOfDeath 7y ago
Thanks. It seems like small details of phrasing have a lot of significance on this topic. For example: > Is eating meat an absolute evil (people should universally agree that it's evil) or a relative one (it's permitted for people hold differing opinions on whether it is evil)? That seems to suggest a two-tier system of ethics. At one level, and act is considered conditionally evil depending on the viewpoint of the person committing the act. But implicitly there seems to be another level at play: the universal applicability of good/evil being relative to each individual's belief system. Gah... I really regret not taking some philosophy courses in college. I'm sure this issue has been covered ad nauseum for at least 3000 years.
- ThrowawayR2 7y ago
  > "Gah... I really regret not taking some philosophy courses in college. I'm sure this issue has been covered ad nauseum for at least 3000 years." It's 2020; there's a website for everything. Try going to https://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_ethics.html https://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_ethics.html and scroll a couple of paragraphs down to the "An alternative division of meta-ethical views is between:" and dive into the links there.

TedDoesntTalk 7y ago

Simply that each of us define evil differently. What is evil to one may not be evil to another. I'm not talking about extremes like murder, but for example capitalism or communism. Or writing code for the department of defense.