What is good and what is evil?

Answer 1

Good is my puppy (Persefonie)

Evil is Persefonie digging out of the back yard.

Answer 2

Good and Evil are traits that can only be applied to human beings and, if you believe in that kind of thing, creatures which are not born of nature and are therefor neither animal nor human ( devils, angels, etc.).

Animals do not have the capacity to understand morality as human beings do. They act primarily on instinct, and are compelled by a very basic sense of self-preservation. The things they do are not Good or Evil; they're instinctual.

Human beings, however, have not only set out a very complex system of right-and-wrong, but they are born with the mental capacity to base their actions on moral judgement.

Good is a being which knows how to act on selflessness, practices mercy and compassion, and is deeply and personally affected by the woes of the world around them.

Evil, on the other hand, is a being which can only act selfishly. It practices cruelty and malice, and gains a very personal pleasure from the pain and suffering of others.

I think it's fair to say that this world is comprised of mostly Good people. We hear a lot of horrible, disgusting things that humans have done in the media, but that's because Good doesn't get the same ratings that Evil does.

It's a serious accusations to decide that someone is Evil; to blame them of having no moral spirit whatsoever. But, sadly, there are people who are Evil. It's comforting to know that the Good does in fact outweigh the Evil in this world, but the sad truth is that Evil is more capable of fooling and deceiving others into following them; and Good is prone to being fooled.

That's why people like Hitler, Stalin, Osama BinLaden, were able to be as powerful as they were.

Answer 3

God/Jesus would be Grace
Good would be helping one across the street, doing a favor for someone without the want of reward.
Bad is rape, robbery, murder.
Evil, is an unfathomable reality that mankind has yet to experience or be introduced to. Bad, to me is linear, where evil, is spherical and can even put complete terror into the bad. Evil is a pain, a suffering that mankind cannot imagine or endure. A whole host of real time and imaginary incidents' that can warp and destroy the human mind, soul, and, body.
Evil, can only be defeated by Grace.
Good is just present and holds no real contest in battling evil.

Answer 4

The first respondents really missed the point, didn't they. Toward the end (You got a lot of answers!) the answers were zeroing in on the practical as well as the spiritual answer to this puzzle. Do You know the Bible? The Garden of Eden? The fruit they were NOT supposed to eat was from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Think about it. Mankind is cursed with the compulsion to judge everything and everyone. It would be a great joy if we could just knock it off.

IMO

{Dark and Lovely made a lovely reply}

Answer 5

One interesting thing about the Holy Bible is that, no matter how people dismiss it, there are universal truths in it that we cannot do away with.
What is good and evil is like knowing about the law of karma or the golden rule.
Elementary analysis, if without provocation, I slap you? Do you think, it is good or evil?
If you see a sick person struggling to get on a bus and you give them a hand, what do you think you have done? Virtue in practice. Keep doing good my friend.
Peace and love.

Answer 6

good is when i can look in the mirror at the end of the day and smile with the light on, and evil is when i cant look in the mirror at all and keep the light off, but in my own defense that evil business only happens 1 week out of the month,,,and it's not so much evil as it is just plain b----y lol miss ya

Answer 7

I like the answer given by Mickey. This IS a very complex question.

But I would like to take a slightly different slant form Mickey. I can't remember who it was that said "nothing is right or wrong but thinking makes it so". My question is, on WHAT is that thinking based? Social norms? Conscience? Situational ethics? Absolute values?

I have even read that one of the arguments for the existence of God is the existence of evil. That may sound like a paradox. But how does one define 'evil'? If it involves any hint of absolute truth, that would lead straight to the 'doorsteps' of God.

Answer 8

Your question sounds simple, but it actually isn't.
Scholars have been debating this one for a while.
It depends on your perspective. While some things such as rape and murder seem pretty universally evil, there are a lot of gray areas that differ from place to place or person to person.

In nature, there is no good or evil. It appears to me that "Good" and "Evil" are human constructions.
I wouldn't be surprised if the concept of good and evil were found to have begun at the same time as organized religion.

Answer 9

Evil is a condition or state of deficiency or need for harmony and balance while good is a state when such deficiency has been resolved. And a person's goodness is one's capacity to see evil as the foundation and groundwork for good.

Answer 10

Good is the Boston Red Sox. Evil is the New York Yankees.