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What separates good from evil? One opinion: cultural dominance.

submitted by Paradoxical003 to whatever 2.7 yearsAug 24, 2022 13:20:15 ago (+3/-0)     (whatever)

Things are made moral or immoral by whatever most people will say, if most will say that X is moral, then it is moral, if most will say that X is immoral, then it is immoral.

Might makes right because with might you can manipulate this consensus on morality - you can make something evil by punishing those who do it, and making those who support the punished action fall under suspicion.

Similarly, you can use power to make something good, such as mandating human sacrifice, as some among those in the centre and south of the Americas had.

Good and evil is whatever the prevalent culture believes it to be, and it changes as the culture does, not everyone is in agreement, and those who disagree can overtake the rest of society to alter the moral standards it's people will operate under.

Morality changes with incentives, as the threats and rewards of different actions change, so does the morality of these actions, some acts are evil only by the virtue of there being a punishment for doing them, some acts are good only because those who do them are rewarded, even if the reward is only being regarded more positively for their deeds.

If morality is a value judgement and up to personal preference, then whatever is most generally preferred is whatever is most moral, and whatever is most generally disliked is whatever is most immoral.

Everyone has their own moral values, and there's likely to be some overlap, put them together and you get a sort of consensus on the most common sense of moral righteousness is, and this morality is what is found at the foundation of the culture that itself serves as the basis for the religion and politics of a society.

Regardless of its form or source, the use of power can manipulate the expressions of preferences among people, making them more or less likely to express like or dislike for different activities (slavery, for example). Power is not just force, it could also be control, or the sum of both parts.

This is a very pragmatic view of morality, cynical, but not necessarily pessimistic, in fact it's quite useful, and with its utility there's the capacity for good (whatever good is to you).

Look at heroes and villains, the hero is good because in our world we will most likely express agreement with his actions and statements (if we say anything of them at all), the villain is evil because we would express our disapproval with his actions and statements if we say anything about them.

Jesus Christ is regarded as good because we mostly find ourselves in agreement with his words and deeds, the pharisee and romans both are seen as villains because of what we see and hear from them being generally disagreeable to us.

Even though his story ends with what is largely regarded as a loss, we still see him as a hero because of how his morality resonates with our own.

Our dominant culture largely aligns with him at this point in time, and it contrasts with that of a pharisee and the romans.

The morality of a hero or villain reflects the values of the culture that they emerged from, the standards outside the story determine those found within.

It's a rare event when the work expresses a moral view that is different to tbat of its society, and in those cases, the story fails on its time, but may find itself enshrined as a great classic as the cultural standards shift, typically in those cases, the work was either a harbinger of the change to come, or more rarely, the cause of the shift in morality.

Threats and insults are a great way of getting people to fall in line without the need for physical force, contact, or even proximity. Humans are programmed to fit in, so expressions of disapproval are an effective way to impose values on others. It can be a general insult, or one that appeals to the value specific specific the in group using fear of rejection on the misfit individual.


5 comments block


[ - ] ZeudesJesucifer 1 point 2.7 yearsAug 24, 2022 14:00:14 ago (+1/-0)*

No. Good and evil are objective, organic realities; All life be that predator or prey, flora or fauna seeks growth, pleasure, and procreation. It's natural enemies are violence and pain, scarcity and disease. These things cause death to the organism, which is objectively bad and patently anathema to life. All life.

Pain will always be painful. Pleasure will always be pleasurable. If you meet someone who feels differently, chances are they've had too much of either/both. (We humans have been lead by such people for many years.)

[ - ] AugustineOfHippo2 0 points 2.7 yearsAug 24, 2022 13:45:12 ago (+0/-0)

if most will say that X is moral, then it is moral, if most will say that X is immoral, then it is immoral

are right and wrong change-able (i.e. relative), or are they absolute? our culture now seems to think that transgender is ok and normal, does that make it right or wrong?

the problem with this thinking is that society and culture change, and therefore the idea of right and wrong change. also, what is right in one culture, is not right in another, so which one is correct?

moral relativism has been broadly debunked across the millennia. there is only moral absolutism, with no shades of gray.

[ - ] PrincessRobotBubblegum 0 points 2.7 yearsAug 24, 2022 13:38:04 ago (+0/-0)

Good behavior is conducive to civilization. Evil behavior is that which is detrimental to civilization.

With regard to breeding and the rearing of offspring, that which is unnatural and abnormal to the proper development of the body and the psyche is an abomination that must be rooted out from the process.

Exposure of children to niggerfuxation and faggotry are absolute indicators of a dysfunctional culture, and impending collapse of civilization.

[ - ] ImplicationOverReason -1 points 2.7 yearsAug 24, 2022 13:45:41 ago (+0/-1)

a) moralism implies as suggested towards consent.

b) consenting to anything suggested implies wanting or not wanting it.

c) choosing want (suggested) ignores need (perceivable)

d) choosing want over need causes want vs not want conflict. This conflict is called "reason" and both sides are fighting each other over a suggestion made by 3rd party outside the conflict.

e) consenting to suggested gives those suggesting the power to define (idolatry); redefine (revisionism) and contradict (talmudic reasoning) both sides within the conflicts of reason.

f) want vs not want can be rebranded at will into true vs false; good vs evil; moral vs immoral; christian vs muslim; believing vs not believing; pro-life vs pro-choice; agreement vs disagreement; us vs them; nationalism vs internationalism; russia vs ukraine; unvaxxed vs vaxxed; analogue vs digital; right-wing vs left-wing; republican vs democrat; pc vs console; straight vs gay; rich vs poor; coffee vs tea; soccer vs football; deflation vs inflation; white vs black; capitalism vs communism etc.

g) one isn't bound by suggested moralism; but to perceivable balance (need/want) as the response-ability (choice) at the center. If one ignores need (perceivable) for want (suggested); one ignores balance (need/want) for imbalance (want vs not want).

dominance

Ask yourself if you represent "free" will of choice at the center of a "dom"inating balance based system aka free-dom aka being temporary free (living) within ongoing dominance (process of dying)...

The parasitic few gain control over the ignorant many through choice (suggestion) towards choice (consent) contract law; which represents the inversion of balance (perceivable) to choice (perceiving) natural law.

Choice can only exist at the center of balance. Balance can only exist at the center (momentum) of motion. Motion can only exist within EN'ERGY, noun [Gr. work.] - "internal or inherent power".

Sleight of hand for those with eyes to see..."Arbeit macht Frei" aka Work (energy) sets Free (will of choice).

[ - ] TallumofAeternis -2 points 2.7 yearsAug 24, 2022 16:34:44 ago (+0/-2)

I'm sending you a bill for the time I spent reading that.