Relative good vs relative evil. Should they exist ( for now)?

[DistantCelt]

Well what do you guys think.
I think relative good and relative evil will exist and both serve their purpose until a time when humanity has evolved beyond the need for either one of them.

[Jock_Tams_Bairn]

Hell its the best system humanity will be able to handle for a long time. I don't even think that evolution itself will be able to get rid of it

[Sharp_Kid]

1. Relative to what?
2. And how will they cease to exist?
3. And under what circumstances would we not require good?

1. If you mean relative to each other, then there's no need to use the word relative because they are defined as opposites, or at least fairly polar in nature to each other.

2. If bad ceases to exist, good does not cease to exist.
Good just begins to be measured differently.
The same could be said for evil in the absence of all good.
Unless you start to think of good as exclusively relating to the actions of one and their results upon another.
Having food on your plate is good, but does the guaranteed future presence of food on your plate nullify the future goodness of that food's presence?
Does having food cease to be good just because the possibility of not having food is so dramatically diminished?
If you're thinking more as in positive actions of people towards each other, then the same applies.
You have to set your parameters somewhere and those parameters will still draw a line between good and bad actions.
What is good when related to actions? If hitting someone over the head with a hammer is bad, then not hitting someone over the head with a hammer is good, right? Or are you saying that hitting someone over the head with a hammer is bad, not hitting someone over the head with a hammer is indifferent and actively going about trying to put a stop to anyone hitting anyone else over the head with a hammer is good?
And if everyone stops hitting each other over the head with hammers, thus removing what is bad, why should not hitting people over the head with a hammer suddenly cease to be considered good?
We need parameters.

3. The only way to remove bad is with the prolonged and overriding presence of good. Your measures must remain as long as the potential for bad remains.

You can tell how long it's been since I was last here.
Has anyone seen Tom Sawyer around lately? I need a good argument about atheism vs. agnosticism.

[DistantCelt]

The main point is, good is defined with accordance to evil and vice versa- they both rise together and therefore, must go down together(or exist together).
Whatever the definition of 'good' is, it is drawn with a perspective and knowledge of what 'evil' is. Without knowing what 'evil' is, you cannot define 'good' and vice versa.
Its like positive charge and negetive charge- you dont know what positive charge is if you have no concept of what negetive charge is.
Simply speaking, good and evil are not absolutes. They are relative terms, being arbitarily determined with the opposite quality in mind.
And therefore, if you remove one part of the equation, the other part is irrevocably changed. Beating someone over the head with a hammer may be wrong- but if everyone stops beating people over the head with hammers, very soon ( ie, in a few decades), hitting/not hitting people over the head with hammers would stop being classed as good or bad.

[mmack]

ok, i may have got a little carried away with my last post for dr james....

the presence of good and evil? if coming from a religious sense i'm afraid they believe GOD? created everything right?

ok then, satan was an angel and was kicked out of heaven because he started to feel (for lack of a better description) evil nasty thoughts.. WAIT..... god made satan. "god" (its looked upon as the good side.) has the ability to be good and evil.. its common sense people. if it feels wrong it probably is.. i dont believe bad things will happen to u if u live an "evil" life. u more or less create and carry that energy around with u and people pick up on it.

The mind is all u need.. good or evil? do we need it.. of course.. i agree with u DC. just live your life the best u can.. and be grateful u have a conscience.. ooo, and listen to it!!!

[Sharp_Kid]

Distant Cell, I understand what you mean, but you are talking about awareness and definition, which are not questions of existence.
Before we were aware of positive and negative charge, before we defined them, did they not exist?
This is the second time I've mentioned it in the past week on here but be caareful of defining something's existence just from our awareness of it.
If we all close our eyes, the world doesn't cease to exist.

[DistantCelt]

Before we were aware of positive and negative charge, before we defined them, did they not exist?

No they didnt. And thats the whole point. Only behaviour existed and without definition, any behaviour is irrelevant. And if the definition is interdependent, there is really no action that is 'good' or 'bad' in the grand scheme of things. Just action and reaction.