whats good without evil Essay - 1219 Words

Without Evil What’s Good nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;â€Å"If my devils are to leave me, I am afraid my angels will take flight as well.† Rainer Maria Rilke wrote this to explain the nature of humanity. He expressed his views on human behavior and how humans think. Without evil, one does not know exactly what goodness is. Everyone possesses good and evil qualities. For they are balanced and create stability in everyone. If the one doesn’t exist then humans would not be able to differentiate or comprehend whether their actions are right or wrong. In our nature life always presents two sides of a situation therefore, making us act and think the way we do every day. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In the beginning of the novel Lord of the†¦show more content†¦They seemed to speak his language, although he didn’t understand why they didn’t understand him. Grendel wants to be friends with the men, although being a descendent of Cain, he decides to attack the mead hall instead. His evil monster side was that he wanted to kill and destroy the humans. He felt guilty at first when he did this, but discovered this is what he was meant to do to these people. When Grendel killed a man he knew it was bad because he had that good quality within him. The Dragon, who told Grendel that he was born a monster and therefore must be the monster and kill, influenced Grendel’s evil side. Whether the men were nice or not it was his destiny to be a monster. He wanted to be good, although he felt he needed to be evil. One needs both qualities in order to distinguish between them. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In contrasting views, there could be two different ideas symbolizing the nature of humans. The two poems by William Blake, â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger†, represent the dual nature of humanity. â€Å"The Lamb,† although a simple poem, has a very deep meaning. For instance, the â€Å"lamb† shows innocence with words such as â€Å"delight†, â€Å"child†, and â€Å"tender voice†. The lamb is compared to an angelic figure. On the other hand, â€Å"The Tyger,† is expressed to be devilish with words such as â€Å"fire†, â€Å"hammer†, â€Å"chain†, and â€Å"furnace†. The Tyger asked God, â€Å"Did he who made theShow MoreRelatedMr. L. Mackie s Evil And Omnipotence1718 Words   |  7 Pages L. Mackie’s â€Å"Evil and Omnipotence† criticizes the argument that God exists by showing that religious beliefs are positively irrational and that parts of the essential t heological doctrine are inconsistent with one another. The problem of evil is one of the oldest problems in philosophy. The problem of evil is a logical problem for only the people who believe that there is a God who is both (1) omnipotent and (2) wholly good; yet (3) evil exists in the world. If God is wholly good and omnipotentRead MoreThe Existence Of Evil Within The World Created By A Good God1004 Words   |  5 Pagesexistence of evil in a world created by a good God Introduction It is by divine design that evil can exist in a world created by a good God. Evil would not exist if God did not will it into existence. Balance is also a major factor as to why evil has been brought into reality. Chinese philosophy of Ying and Yang has a great principle that states â€Å"that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites (Cartwright, 2012).† Good cannot be recognized without the recognition of evil and vice versaRead MoreKnowing Otherworldly Goodness Through Worldly Evils1732 Words   |  7 Pagesin certain events, but also to anything that can be detected through the senses, ie: people, inanimate objects, and feelings. The ability to define, categorize, extend knowledge onto other things, and compare are the most fundamental functions. Without these functions, we could not gather knowledge from our experiences, nor could we arrive at any conclusions about their significance. The physical world would ultimately be unintelligible. This lea ds to the question of how we can understand thingsRead More Saint Augustine Essay1621 Words   |  7 PagesAugustine engaged restlessly in philosophical studies, and passed from one phase of thought to another, unable to find satisfaction. From 373 until 382, in Carthage, he conformed to Manichaeism, a dualistic philosophy dealing with the conflict between good and evil. This seemed to be the answer to the confusion in his own heart. It solved the mysteries that confused him in his own experience. After realizing that this philosophy wouldn’t make a great ethical system, he abandoned this philosophy. After beingRead MoreThe Problem Of Evil Essay1452 Words   |  6 PagesProblem of Evil essay Although it could be argued that an omnipotent omniscient and omnibenevolent deity could exist along with evil. It is in fact not reasonable to believe so. I will prove that it is unreasonable to believe a god with these attributes like this can exist accompanying evil. In order to give a valid argument ill look at each component, omniscience, omnipotence and Omni benevolence and break those down leading to the conclusion that a being such as this cannot coexist with evil. I willRead MoreWilliam Goldings Lord of the Flies Essay872 Words   |  4 PagesPeople are born with certain genes that either make them good or bad; the question is which genes do you have? In Lord of the Flies by William Golding these kids start to thrive on their bad genes because their surroundings are playing a part of how they act. When the boys started to hunt they would like to kill pigs for fun. At one point they thought of it like a sport. Jack one the characters in the book would make fun of piggy for b eing fat and wearing glasses. This is due because jack has certainRead MoreWhy God Should Not Be Blamed On God1707 Words   |  7 Pagesasking why evil exists. Or why, an all-powerful, omnipotent, omniscient, and morally perfect God allows evil into the world that he/she created. This question has brought about many answers and much debate between believers and non-believers. I have done a lot of reading on this dilemma and hope to address it through looking at a few key points. First, I want to address the question, what do we, as humans perceive as evil. To answer that question, I will look at both physical and moral evil, as wellRead MoreThe Book On Evil By Thomas Aquinas1264 Words   |  6 Pagesthe book â€Å"On Evil†, by Thomas Aquinas, the topic of evil is believed to be a broad subject that cannot be stated in one opinion, but a variety. Aquinas goes on with the idea that evil is not a result of God and cannot be considered as an entity. Aquinas also believes that God, who is perfectly good, is the creator of all things and that God cannot be thought of as causing sin and suffering. In this paper, I will argue against Aquinas’ views on why God is not the cause of evil, why evil is not an entityRead MoreGods Omnipotence Essay1645 Words   |  7 PagesGods Omnipotence The theological problem of evil is a problem that many philosophers have tried to solve. The problem is stated as, if one believes that god is omnipotent and wholly good, why does evil still exist? In this writing I will discuss the solutions/propositions of John L. Mackie in his work, Evil and Omnipotence. I will do this in order to illustrate the concept of free will for understanding or resolving the problem, and to reveal how and why Mackie arrives at his conclusionsRead MoreExploring the Idea of Evil Essay example1162 Words   |  5 Pagesconstantly attempted to understand what evil truly is, and, if possible, how to eliminate this evil from their lives. However, first it must be known what it is that is being eliminated. Different people, cultures, and eras have all had a different view of what evil is, and how it affects their lives, and there is no true answer. Because of this, discussing the idea of whether people are born or can be evil is meaningless. The idea of what evil is, and whether people can be evil, is relative and cannot be