Can evil exist without good, and can good exist without evil?

Question

Think about it - - in science, we have discovered positive and negative ions form within the realm of chemistry. Positive and negative actions and forces keep our solar system in a semi-constant stream of predictible motion.

We compare what is evil by our definition of good. But what if "evil" didn't exist at all? What if "good" didn't exist at all?

Could one reasonably draw the logical solution, then, that evil and good have to co-exist?

Answer 1

this only shows the limits of human reasoning and its impracticality when applied to universal eternal Truth

GOOD and EVIL are just human concepts, not universal Truth

every thing we know on earth is relative, we "know" something by comparing it to some other thing.. AND THUS, one that is good for you may be bad for another person and you wouldn't care..

whereas absolute goodness is unknowable, because it is incomparable, the Absolute is beyond compare, beyond good and evil

only in the human mind is Good and Evil necessary to co-exist, because our mind is in need of comparison and relativity

Answer 2

According to the logic that you used, evil should not exist without good and vice versa. But essentially that does not mean that they cannot exist without the other. It is only that we notice evil because we know what good is and we know good because we understand what evil is. But does this by itself prove that they cannot exist without the other?

In Christianity ' Satan ' per se was not there in the beginning, was he? It is not seen mentioned in the Bible as ‘Evil’. In the “ Book of Job” Satan is said to be a celestial being similar to sons of God. If such is the case, then he cant be Evil. In Genesis, we see the Serpent seduce Eve and Adam. Here Satan influenced the Serpent of course. But was this not to test Adam and Eve? Was this not a test for mankind as instituted by God? The reason to say this is the fact that God had indeed told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit from the Tree of Enlightenment. He wanted to see if Adam and Eve obeyed his terms.

So where is Good and Evil here? Moreover if Satan was indeed there then we are also told that originally that he was a good spirit who served God. Now, he becomes Evil due to the fact that his had ego problems with God. Is that not right? So essentially there was a time when there was no Satan (when there was no ego problems) that means there was time when there was no evil, right? That should mean therefore that evil can exist without good and good can exist without evil.

Now, regarding Good and Evil, we have to understand that only humans see and think of their existence. How come animals do not see evil or thinks about good and all that? So then can’t it be said that we as logical and reasoning creatures simply made up the idea of good and evil, yin and yan etc. The scientific fact of the existence negative and positive ions is as scientific as sun and moon, but can that be compared to the abstractedness of good and evil?

Anything that does not match up to our standards and provide us some sort of reward impulse and happiness is considered bad or evil and everything opposite to that is considered good. So the existence of Good and Evil is essentially an idea of our own creation. When we cannot explain something then we simply give it abstract terms and ideas. Then we try to explain it in a way that makes some sort of sense to some of us.

Answer 3

Lets contemplate this further.... are good and evil actually "things" - like ions - or "concepts"? I don't think we can isolate "evil" and look at it under a microscope, therefore, my current logic says it must be a "concept." If it is a concept, and not a thing, then it is based on an idea - in order for there to be an idea of what is evil, someone, it seems, would have to think of something in a negative light. In order to view something in a negative light, there would have to be a frame of reference -- but the antithesis would not necessarily have to be "good" --- at times, we can feel "indifferent" about things. Therefore, if we only knew that we were "comfortable" or that there was a different feeling that did not feel so comfortable, would it necessarily be "evil?" I think not. Therefore, the existence is due to our conceptualization of our subjective truths, and conceivably can be said to "not exist" at all.... just a thought!!!

Answer 4

The possibility of evil existed even when there was no evil in the world; hence why God told Adam not to eat from the tree. Obviously that is what comes with free-will, the possibility of either choice; that does not mandate however that evil be in the world at all times. In addition, the knowledge of the future concerning the evil someone else would do somewhere else does not constitute an evil in heaven; rather it is an example of omniscience.

Answer 5

All that we know and sense are but interpretations of our minds -- good, evil, red or anything.

These are relative concepts defined within the mind, mixed in with the external sensory and social culture we have learned -- memory and experiences.

If one could condition the self to feel all good, all evil, or completely void of either, than how do we argue with such a person about what he / she feels?

The best we could do is to appeal the case to the public and make a claim. In other words, who knows?

Answer 6

If my Aunt had Gonads . Would she be my Uncle?
Good bad , right wrong. Sinners and reaally bad sinners.
These are all common sense guidlines we actually gave ourselves to govern our ever expanding communities way back when. What is good what is bad . Just action or gestures that were forced upon us. Didn't matter if you liked it or not.
Does Evil exist? Evil isnt a solid , liquid, or gas.
Its not for every action there is a reaction . Evil to one isnt to another so your thinking down the wrong alley . Are you questioning beliefs that you do or do not have?\

Answer 7

It is our definition that creates the term evil or good. It was said that in the beginning all that was created was good. Then evil would be only the change that occurs to bring the good out to a more visible form. Also look at evil spelled backwards, LIVE.
So maybe evil is expressed by not living in forward.

Answer 8

If evil didnt exist at all, then everyone existing in the world at that time would be immortal. The world would become over-populated so basically...if everyone said that evil was gone forever it would be here because of what the world would turn into with all the goodness. And if evil just existed, then, in my opinion, we wouldnt be anything at all. I would draw a blank black screen for eternity, there is no good without evil.

Answer 9

I totally agree. There would be no way to adequately appreciate the good, if bad were not there to keep things in perspective. I think that is one of the beauties of life. As horrible as death and destruction is, it is necessary to enjoy life and regeneration. I have lately discovered that the Japanese in general have a thorough appreciation for death that most other nationalities do not share. Just look at some of the Japanese death poems, that they can find such beautiful words at the end of there life is truly amazing.

Answer 10

Its just another mental jacket that humanity developed through the ego... Does it really matter??? If one starts thinking about how small we are... not even a grain of sand in the vast universe!!! Then, we may start thinking that there is no good nor evil... because neither the good nor the evil that we may do has the slightest impact in our universe.