Good and evil are polar opposites, yet one cannot exist without the other. To understand this intricate relationship, one must have a clear understanding on what exactly good and evil are. These two are not always so black and white, but good can be defined as acting agreeably with societical and personal values. Evil can be defined as going against those values. However, as societies and humans differ, so do their moral codes. What is seen as good in one society or time may be seen as evil in another. Two more factors to consider are intentions and actions. They are two separate entities. Actions are seen, and judged, by everyone else, but intentions are known only by the doer. This is why there is no clear-cut line between good and evil.…
With proof from the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding I can say a person’s environment factors into their overall attitude, people naturally have evil thoughts, but will rules around them they are good. At the beginning of the book on page 38 Ralph says “Shut up! What! Listen!”. From the start of the look Ralph has felt power and the slight change of letting go of rules and becoming his natural evil controlling self. Ralph wants to keep order and the only way to keep order is with rules. Rules are what separate a person from doing whatever they want and being a bad person with doing good. From a more easily transitioned to showing evil we see on page 40 “His voice rose to a shriek of terror as jack snatched his glasses off his face.” Jack has no rules therefore he does whatever he wants and acts evil. If he was naturally good he would have felt some slight guilt for taking glasses from someone who can’t see without them. Essentially humans show their true nature given the opportunity that was given in Lord of The flies.…
Most of us just rationalize our actions, justify our bad behavior, and label ourselves “good people”…
Good is perceived as manifestations of love, purity, salvation and goodness in the lives of people. Lesser good is judged to be evil. Frequently, the perception of good and evil is based on our own frame of acceptance. When we judge other people, we create a separation between good and evil. Such people believe their actions are based on clear reasons and understanding.…
Firstly, good people do bad things because of something called diffusion of responsibility. This means not taking the blame for something because it was someone else’s command and not your own idea. An example of this is when Lyndiee said to the interviewer: ‘obviously it’s okay- my superior says it’s okay’.…
In A Good Man is Hard to Find, the author, Flannery O’Connor, focuses heavily on the suggestion of “good” in the story’s characters. However, the perception of what makes a person “good” is different for each character. I believe that an individual’s upbringing and placement in society determine that person’s definition of what makes one “good.” Subsequently, I believe that a person can only be considered "good" based on his or her intentions and actions.…
Evil people do evil things: that statement seems simple enough. However, the motives behind evil acts tend to be more complex than that simplistic thought. Although some may believe that any dishonesty is evil, people are not inherently evil, and acts that may be considered evil are not deliberate. More likely, they occur because of the denial of private responsibility through the pursuit of self-gain.…
“We don’t want to do evil, and we would like to do good if we can. But to do that, we need to know what it means to be good, and what kind of actions tend to achieve it (Thomas, page 4).” The actions of good and evil were often depicted in the stories told by the caregivers during Plato’s time. Ayn Rand says, “Your only choice is whether these principles are true or false, [and] whether they represent your conscious… (Thomas, page 1).” After absorbing good versus evil, and taking in education throughout life, one develops a sense of self. Having a personal sense of self is how one determines how he or she will think, why he or she believes certain things, and what will motivate one to make important life…
Can good deeds outshine the bad? It is relatively unknown. Everyone has a different perspective of ‘goodness’. During the Holocaust, hundreds of rebellions occurred. These people believed that goodness could surpass the evil that surrounded them. Goodness can find a way through the darkness by standing up, believing in something, and by everyone remembering the immoral deeds that were done.…
Good will according to Kant, is attempting to do the right thing in all situations. Kant believes that in every situation one encounters, there will always be good. I believe that although in some instances, there can be goodness; I also believe that there are certain situations in which only the bad can occur. For example, on the day of the terrorist attack on 9/11 in New York, the terrorist act was not morally correct in anyway. On his prime…
thinking. Simply put, this article claims that people act in “bad” ways for morally “good”…
If people are born good what makes them become evil? Evil is grown in people's hearts over time and the more someone gives into temptation, the more evil their heart becomes. People are inherently good, however, some people succumb to evil because of the lack of self-restraint against temptation.…
The perception of good is varied through what way someone is looking at it. Whether it be someones behavior, the feeling, or to do good it all represents something positive. As a child, being told to be good was a reflection on my behavior. Good behavior in my family as a child was always important. When visiting a family or a friends house, good behavior from me was always expected by my mother. Good behavior was to be mannerly, and to not disturb dinner. Bad behavior was immensely frowned upon in my family and brought multiple consequences. Very often when I was younger being told I was a good listener was a reflection not only on my behavior, but a reflection on the positive way I followed directions. To feel good is a very positive feeling. Good is a feeling that is achieved through various things like: reaching a personal goal, making others happy, or receiving positive news. Also, to feel good may be brought on from doing good. To do good is to be selfless in a way that you do acts of kindness in order to help others. To reach the warm and positive feeling of selflessness, many will…
The story of Robin Hood is a classic. As a matter of fact, so well known that it scarcely needs to be retold, but to be pointed in the right direction basically, the story tells of a man who stole from the rich to give to the poor. Switching gears, but in the same line of fire, when one steals, even if it is for a good cause, is stealing still wrong? When Heavenly Father said thou shalt not steal,' did he mean ever, without exception? Of course. So why, then, do we cheer for Robin as he runs out of King Richards castle when we know what he has done was wrong? Because he's a good guy, right? If he has to do a couple bad things to make a couple good things happen, it's alright. From this comes the burning question of the day; would the situation at hand mean that Robin Hood was basically a good guy who did bad things, or merely that he was a bad guy doing good things? And even wider, generally, could we ask this question about any person and their motives? Are people, deep down, basically good and easily influenced by the world to do bad things, or are they basically bad, and must be taught by an inside source to be good?…
We become bad if we hurt others constantly in an irrational manner, being abusive and ignorant also makes us bad, these are some examples why we become a bad person, in short if we do bad things that can harm others or anything that can cause destruction to God's creations we are becoming a bad person. We are judged by others on how we act and behave and even how we treat others if we act, behave and treat others badly we are judged by others us a bad person having a bad personality.…