Evil: What is it?

After an interesting discussion through the comments on a post of Jack Loveland's on his blog, it brought me to an interesting question: how does one define evil? The closest one can definitively say about that is that evil is the opposite of good. 

Can one define evil? Some would say that good and evil is relative and depends on circumstances and the individuals concerned. Others would say that good and evil do not exist at all, being merely a flawed construct of our collective minds. Some of the more interesting ones I've heard include the utilitarian idea that evil is what does the most harm to the most people (as opposed to the most good to the most people), and, one that I've come up with, the idea that evil is what takes away one's free will. 

None of these definitions seem to 'hit the spot', for me to define what evil really is. What do you think?

Alan Watts

After realizing my comment on Jack's post was quite Dharmic in nature, I decided to share with you one of my favorite modern thinkers.

Alan Watts is mainly thought of as a presenter of Eastern Religion sto a Western Audience (Buddhism, Taoism, etc). As a member of the LDS Faith, often I am (wrongfully, I admit) paranoid to pro-atheist media (videos, articles, etc). Stumbling on one a video of a talk of his, I originally thought that that's what it was. But as I listened, I began to realize that, even though it defied traditional Western thought in a revisionist manner, it was religious. Not Christian, mind you, but extremely enlightening. Listening to this man's talks has brought a new type of thought to my mind and thinking (or at least given a name and reality to something already there.)

Also, Alan Watts died of alcohol poisoning, and had used hallucinogenic drugs in his lifetime, leading to a first impression of an 'unrighteous', 'immoral' person (perhaps one that had gone astray). But as I thought about it, I began to realize that this man has done much more good, at least for me, than most of the general authorities of the LDS Church (that may just be my relative lack of obsession over the Church compared to this). It really changed my opinion over what 'good' and 'doing good' is.

This is a (rather long) video of Watts talking about the nature of time. One of the main themes in everything he presents is that our perception of the world as made up of separate 'things' is flawed and that everything is just part of a whole. Don't be daunted by the video length (I would be). You can skip around if you want to.

Free Will: Allowed?

In a brief amount of time, I would like to state my opinion on a certain 'hot topic' of conversation (or maybe not, I dunno). The question is: should morality be enforced? The argument for that might be that there are certain things that are good for all people, and those things (or lack of) should be enforced on everyone. For example, most drugs are not allowed in the United States because it can cause bad health. Cigarette smoking is discouraged (but not illegal, mind you) because of the same reason. Also, gay marriage is still not legal in most of the 50 states. Why is this? Perhaps it is because that homosexuality is an abomination of sorts, against nature and all that. Perhaps it is because children need a parent of both genders, or what have you.

I personally don't agree with those sentiments. I believe that any drug that does not cause you to harm other people (like Marijuana for example), should be legal. Similarly, I oppose efforts to ban the smoking of cigarettes entirely (I support the banning of it in some public places, again so it doesn't harm other people unwillingly). Also, and the most controversial of all, I believe people should be able to do whatever they want with their own body: pierce it, tattoo it, mutilate it or have intercourse with whoever or whatever (as long as it's willingly) in as ridiculous and disgusting ways as they want to. I also believe that two, responsible, sensitive people, no matter what their gender, should be able to marry and adopt a child (there are different studies saying that either homosexual or homosexual parents are more suited for parenting) and raise it as they see fit.

Now, this does not mean I would do these things myself, no, I would not bring my body to that kind of low. I simply believe that people's free will (central to several religions I know of) should be enforced, as long as it does not interfere with others'.

Now, I know that the above is controversial. I delight in controversy, so please comment.

American Mythology

I've been at KGM for a week, and, as is expected of one with observational skills above that of, say, a hamster, I have noticed that we do not say the pledge of allegiance or sing the national anthem regularly. I'm not saying that that's a BAD thing, no, quite the opposite. I made an interesting 'connection' recently, reading the section in the textbook on the rise of Rome and Christianity. It talked about how Christians refused to offer sacrifices to the gods in an act of treason. I also remember Mr. Matt (SS 11 Teacher) teaching our class that Greco-Roman gods weren't necessarily believed in as omnipotent beings, but more of personification of certain ideals, like the personification of a city, perhaps. So, in this sense, worshipping the gods was more of a kind of patriotism than of what is now considered religion. So, the Christians were refusing to be patriotic, and therefore, they were considered a threat to the integrity of their country.

That made me think. What is patriotism today but a form of worship? We (public schools more often than most) routinely chant incantations, or even prayers, toward an inanimate idol: the American Flag. We are told to respect the flag, not to drop the flag and are classified as terrorists (by some) if we burn the flag. All that for an inanimate object? Some would argue that the flag is a symbol of our country, and that disrespecting the flag is also disrespecting your country. This reminds me more than anything of the Greco-Roman belief system, only, instead of a 'person' symbolizing a nation or a city, it is an object, an idol. Patriotism, if anything, is the American religion. It surprises me that it is usually the most conservative Christians who support the idea of extreme patriotism. It is very ironic.

Speaking of an American religion, specifically an American mythology, there isn't only the pledge of allgience to speak of. The national anthem is nothing more than a ritual song to show our loyalty. Something I personally think is very profound is the idea of an American pantheon. Mr. K once said that America does have gods, in the sense of historical beings that embody the very spirit of a country and have been elevated to godlike satus. I am talking about the founding fathers. Yes, Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and even Lincoln (who wasn't technically a founding father but is held in the same light) are our gods. We have our own parables and myths surrounding these characters (the chopping down of a certain cherry tree, for example), and they are constantly being adapted into our art. They are on our money (that perhaps being more of a property of a ruler rather than a diety), and even our cities are named after them.

Another possible choice for an American mythology would be none other than superheroes. While they do not have the same historical quality that the founding fathers do, they certainly embody many of our 'American values' and are filled with ethical problems resolved by our shining example of good. What is especially similar to this mythology and the Greeks and Norse is the sheer aamount of story known by (nearly) everyone. Our American mythos, really. Ask anyone who is Supermans girlfriend and they will (hopefullly) say Lois Lane. Where does Batman come from? Gotham, of course. Some of them even fit the typical archetypes of a pantheon. The all powerful main god: Superman. The epitome of patriotism (Athena for the Greeks): Captain America. Batman could even be considered the the god of the underworld if we want to stretch it that far.

Hope you've had some interesting insight into my opinions. Expect to see a lot more of that in the future.

P. S. After some feedback, I've decided to clarify that this is not my attempt to criticize the very concept of patriotism. Rather, it is my attempt to show religious influences in the most secular of societies.

SS

Welcome to Christian Swenson's SS Blog! What does the SS stand for? Socratic Seminar of course! (Don't get any other ideas). This is where I will be posting my opinions and stuff for Socratic Seminar. Debating (and arguing) is my specialty, and I really look forward to doing it with all of you.