Does good and bad exist in a natural state?

Question

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Have a great day!

Answer 1

Your ideas about what is good and bad come from you opinion about what is Good and evil.

The good and evil that you see don't even exist in reality, at least not outside of the mind that believes in them. They are only judgments passed by the individual from their own unique perspective. What one person sees as bad or evil may seem to be the only logical thing to do from some other perspective. The ideas of both good and evil are point of view specific. This is why people like bush and bin laden are either loved or hated. Bush is seen as good by people who share his fear based thought system. Those who have a compassionate concern for all of mankind often see him as evil.

Bin laden is much the same. He is a villain in much of the western world, but he is somewhat of a celebrated pop star on the Middle East. There are T-shirt shops that sell items with his picture as though he was Jesus. It all depends on your point of view or perspective.

To sum it all up good is the name we give to people who do things that we think we like.

Evil is the name we give to people who do the things that we don’t like.

This is of course based solely on our particular point of view.

Love and blessings

Don

Answer 2

Good and bad are subjective ideas but exist in nature for sure! A lizard sunning itself on a rock will be happy because it feels good; the same lizard will feel bad if a predator suddenly came along. Plants feel good when they are disease and parasite free. Good equals happy; bad equals stress.
Morally though, there is no good or evil in Nature. The lizard certainly will not think the predator who tries to kill it is evil.
Nor would the predator think it was doing good to kill the lizard, although trying to do so and suceeding made it feel very good and alive, because that's what he was designed to do. Situations ARE either good or bad in the natural world; if they weren't evolution would cease.
You ask a difficult question. If you had asked about right or wrong, I would answer quite differently. But good and bad; those things can mean almost anything, so it is hard to know what YOU mean by them.

Answer 3

Good and bad, by the way "we" determine them, are human constructs. Much of our conception of good and evil comes from the law. So many laws were established based on religious ideas. Religion, in my opinion, was created as a means of control. Again, toward a human end without regard for the "truth."

Of course, as people grow and learn to question, this is becoming less true. Hooray! :)

Having said this, I have to tell you that I believe there are universal "truths." But because we are human, we can only approximate them. Some people are better than others at tapping into them. Do I have any proof to support this? No. It is a conclusion I have come to based on personal experience. :)

Answer 4

Good or bad for what?

Survival?

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Good and bad are relative terms like big or small.

Things that are good for survival tend to happen via evolution.

Other than survival, it is hard to come up with a non-arbitrary judgment of good or bad.

Some say that bringing the most pleasure to the most people is good but this is still debatable, especially if some have to suffer for the good of society.

Goodness like beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I have discussed similar issues before so I will say no more.

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Early Greek philosophers were very interested in forms or mathematical patterns which they thought had instrinsic beauty but just because some people something (like Rap or Jazz) does not mean everyone will think it is good.

Answer 5

While good and evil do not exist outside of the mind nonetheless this is the cornerstone of "free will" because choice is fundamental to the plan of God. The reference here is the Gnostic text the Book of Thomas. (I would point out that there is a wealth of great personal interactions between Jesus and the disciples and detail in the Gnostic Texts and I wish the Church would recognize this). In the Book of Thomas Jesus was discussing the Eternal One God, the formation of man, the duality of light and darkness, good and evil and then he asked the great question of Thomas, "Now that you are two, what are you going to do?" WOW! Good and bad, light and darkness life and death are the fundamental basis of the operation of "free will." So we must choose the light, we must choose the good, we must choose God.

Answer 6

In the "natural state" good/bad arises (illness, etc.), but it is ''responded' to not reacted to. These are two very different forms of behavior!

Reaction comes from conditioned beliefs...lots of 'should be', ought to, resistance and acting out prevails. Violence can easily be a part of this mentality...our ongoing wars, etc.,...

A 'response' to life comes from more sane, objective, behavior. There is more clarity, more fairness when one operates from this higher level of awareness.

We would have so much peace in our world if we would respond to crisis rather than reacting, blindly, flailing about with bombs and such.

Answer 7

I know a bird came in my house one day and pooped all over the place. That was bad. Maybe he was scarred. I know a deer ran out in the street and was hit by a car. Though maybe the driver could have been more aware but a full grown deer could be just as aware.(been here long enough)

Answer 8

Knowledge of good & evil, that's our cross to bear. We carry that judgement, & although we all agree on some issues, what is good or bad is a little different for each. It can be so subjective at times, that we may judge something as bad only to later change our mind & call it good. Blessings

Answer 9

Good and Bad exist only inside your mind.

Answer 10

In a natural state, I would think the meaning of good and bad would be different... that which is useful or serves the purpose is good and that which is useless or does not serve the purpose is bad.