Good or Evil? How do you determine what is good or evil?

Question

I was reading a book (Shantara for anyone thats interested) and a character in the book asks the main character how he determines what is good and evil. The guy asking the question then explains how he sees it, things continually want to advance, so if the thing in question would slow or stop this advancement of humans then it is evil, if it would help advance the humans then it is good.

The book is Shantara by David Roberts

Answer 1

Well, there are two ways that I can think of. Method one: have some religious authority tell you what's good or evil based on his interpretation of his religion. Completely arbitrary, and you'll burn in hell if you disagree or disobey.

Method two: work it out for yourself. I subscribe to a libertarian philosophy, and whether an act is good or evil depends on the effect it has on others. Good and evil do not exist in a vacuum, they are human concepts. As a libertarian (not to be confused with a libertine), I believe people should be free to do, say, act and live as they please, so long as they:
1. Do no physical harm to others.
2. Do no harm to others' property (e.g. stealing).
3. Do no harm to others' freedom to likewise do as they please within the same limits. And
4. Take responsibility for anything bad they do, whether intended or unintended.

In my book, you're a good person if you follow those rules, and bad if you break them. It's simple, yet it works in nearly any situation.

Answer 2

what is that book? sounds interesting.. I think its like how you determine right or wrong. and the answer is not about advancement of humans....there are some things that could help as advance, benefits us, but still not good. For you to determine which is which, know what is right first. And it depends on each individual's belief. Like for example, I am a Catholic and a believer of Jesus Christ. I believe in God and his teachings are good. If every decision that we will make is agains HIS law, then it is evil or bad.
For others, like for Muslims, they believe that "jihad" or holy war is good. Or if not good, they believe its not against their law. But for others, its not good.
So meaning, it depends on what we believed in.

Answer 3

"The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil" by Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov gives alot of insight about this.

"The Path of Virtue," Jonathan Murro, and "Climb the Highest Mountain," Mark L. Prophet (his real name), likewise.

"The Reincarnation of Edgar Cayce?", Free and Wilcock, about the struggle of Wilcock to realize his true self, is great ( is his website), as is "Expecting Adam," by Martha Beck, who learned alot about how to discern good from evil at Harvard while she was pregnant with Adam.

"The Story of My Experiments with Truth," Mahatma Gandhi, is a classic, as is "The Autobiography of a Yogi," Paramahansa Yogananda ( is his site).

"And There Was Light," Jacques Lusseyran's life in WWII France, Reverend Richard Wurmbrand's "Tortured for Christ," Pin Yathay's "Stay Alive, My Son," Soon Ok Lee's "The Eyes of the Tailless Animals," and Olga Kharitidi's "Entering the Circle" and "The Master of Lucid Dreams" all deal with their lives' contact with good-evil.

Plotinus noted that turning from Pure Energy, God, was energy-veiling, e-veiling, eviling. Along this line, "The Field" by Lynne McTaggart and "Psychoenergetic Science," Dr. William Tiller, http://www.tiller.org are good.

"The People of the Lie," M. Scott Peck, and "The Great Divorce," C. S. Lewis, are also excellent, as is "Extraordinary Knowing," Dr. Elizabeth Mayer, and "Hidden Camera," Zoran Zivkovic.

If you read some of two or three of these titles, you will imho be able to decide whether to check into the others. They are all great, imo.

regards,

j.

Answer 4

Bonjour,

As in the world, good or evil, right or wrong ... you can never judge the act. Always remember, acts cant be judged, it the situations behind them that can. Love is sometimes evil and hate is sometimes good. Now to judge the situation, if the subject in the situation acted with awareness, it is good else evil. With awareness you can never do evil.

Answer 5

I think Hitler thought that the Jews were preventing the advancement of humans. I don't think I like the Shantara definition.

How about the Golden Rule?

Answer 6

completely wrong
what if i don't want to advance?
Wrong/Evil are completely defined by the cultures we belong to.

Answer 7

Make a decision and stick to it.