NationStates Jolt Archive

Is everyone good?
What makes them bad?
Is there some kind of balance at work?
Do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect)
Does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?)
Are there any neutral actions?
How do they stack up against good or bad?
Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad?
Do good/bad exist?
If they do exist, do they matter?

A good person is someone who leaves the world a better place than she found it. After talking to many individuals, I find a good person to be a rare thing.

A good person is someone who leaves the world a better place than she found it. After talking to many individuals, I find a good person to be a rare thing.

Answer my questions. :p

Be like me your good, if not your a god damn communist.

Is everyone good?

Nope.

What makes them bad?

Their actions, somewhat nullified by their circumstance.

Is there some kind of balance at work?

Like a fulcrum? There's lots of fulcrums at work in the world.

Do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect)

No.

Does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?)

Nope.

Are there any neutral actions?

Yes.

How do they stack up against good or bad?

They're neutral.

Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad?

No.

Do good/bad exist?

It's an interesting theory.

If they do exist, do they matter?

Not to me.

Answers bolded.

Is everyone good?
no

What makes them bad?

Bad is as bad does, and as bad wants. It's a combination of behavior and intent.

Is there some kind of balance at work?

Unlikely.

Do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect)

It depends on the action. If you rape, but prevent another rape from occurring, has your balance zeroed out?


Does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?)

Clearly some actions are weightier than others simply because they are more important and the consequences more severe.

Are there any neutral actions?

Of course. There are actions with no moral quality unless through apophenia you delude yourself into seeing what isn't there.

How do they stack up against good or bad?

They're right in between. ;)

Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad?

Only if you ignore the context of action.

Do good/bad exist?

Only in an intangible, subjective, philosophical/psychological sense.

If they do exist, do they matter?

Only in the sense that your feelings or thoughts matter.

Answer my questions. :p

"Is everyone good?"

"Good" is relative. Under my definition, most are not good.

"What makes them bad?"

Failure to concern themselves with the suffering of their fellows.

"Is there some kind of balance at work?"

No, the majority is selfish.

"Do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect)"

Like Machiavelli, I am a utilitarian, but believe men should be punished and rewarded separately.

"Does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?)"

Someone who spends money to feed the starving does more good than someone who helps an old lady with her groceries. Good actions do not atone for bad--I do not believe in "justice", so my philosophy is hard to explain.

"Are there any neutral actions?"

No.

"How do they stack up against good or bad?"

To do nothing is bad.

"Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad?"

The end justifies the means.

"Do good/bad exist?"

They are relative viewpoints, like pain and pleasure. Some like being whipped, but I still call it painful.

"If they do exist, do they matter?"

To me, yes, to others, no.

Is everyone good? No
What makes them bad? Their own definitions of 'good' and 'bad'.
Is there some kind of balance at work? If you believe there is.
Do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect) If you believe they do.
Does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?)If you believe they do.
Are there any neutral actions? Probably.
How do they stack up against good or bad? They earn you points that you can cash in for free merchandise.
Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad? Probably not. Even people who believe that the ends sometimes justify the means don't seem willing to apply that with any degree of consistency.
Do good/bad exist? Yes
If they do exist, do they matter? Only if you believe they do.

is everyone good? no
what makes them bad? their own definitions of 'good' and 'bad'.
is there some kind of balance at work? if you believe there is.
do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect) if you believe they do.
does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?)if you believe they do.
are there any neutral actions? probably.
how do they stack up against good or bad? they earn you points that you can cash in for free merchandise.
are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad? probably not. Even people who believe that the ends sometimes justify the means don't seem willing to apply that with any degree of consistency.
do good/bad exist? yes
if they do exist, do they matter? only if you believe they do.

qft

What does it mean to be a good person?
*deep breath*

A person is good (i.e. virtuous) insofar as they are well fitted with respect to their (i) emotions, (ii) desires, and (iii) actions (from reason and inclination); whether they are thus well fitted is determined by whether these aspects well serve (1) their survival, (2) the continuance of the species, (3) their characteristic freedom from pain and characteristic enjoyment, (4) the good functioning of their social group, (5) their autonomy, (6) the accumulation of knowledge, (7) a meaningful life, and (8) the realisation of noneudaimonistic ends (grounded in noneudaimonistic goods or values) - in the way characteristic of human beings.

Is everyone good?
I cannot think of a human who has not been good at some time in their life (i.e. there are no 'evil' persons, those who never are good in my view), but that does not make everyone a good person.

What makes them bad?
Invirtuous action.

Is everyone good?
No mere human is good
What makes them bad?
Their nature
Is there some kind of balance at work?
Nope
Do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect)
Every action is tainted by sin, so it is not possible to perform a good action.
Does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?)
Nope
Are there any neutral actions?
Ish...some things in and of themselves are neutral, but our motives in doing them determine their morality.
How do they stack up against good or bad?
See above.
Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad?
No, neutral actions are made bad or good by our motives, and outcome has no effect on the morality of an action
Do good/bad exist?
Yes
If they do exist, do they matter?
Yes

*deep breath*

A person is good (i.e. virtuous) insofar as they are well fitted with respect to their (i) emotions, (ii) desires, and (iii) actions (from reason and inclination); whether they are thus well fitted is determined by whether these aspects well serve (1) their survival, (2) the continuance of the species, (3) their characteristic freedom from pain and characteristic enjoyment, (4) the good functioning of their social group, (5) their autonomy, (6) the accumulation of knowledge, (7) a meaningful life, and (8) the realisation of noneudaimonistic ends (grounded in noneudaimonistic goods or values) - in the way

*does best impression of annoying 5 year-old*

"But why? But why??"


BTW, "no" to everything. I plead moral relativism, logical rational solipsism and a sprinkling of nihilistic pragmatism as reasons.

*does best impression of annoying 5 year-old*

"But why? But why??"


BTW, "no" to everything. I plead moral relativism, logical rational solipsism and a sprinkling of nihilistic pragmatism as reasons.

Delicious.

A good person is anyone who classifies as "good" in the eyes of some beholder, regardless whether this classification corresponds with classifications made by other people.

A person striving to be a good person will act in such a way as to get the classification "good" by people they find important to be so classified by.

And no, there are no absolutes, therefore there is no absolute good or absolute bad, just absolute ugly... wait... well... okay, there are some absolutes, then!

There are huge gray areas here, it's not just black and white. There could be something to do with the reason you did a bad thing or the reason for a good thing. If it's a good reason for a bad thing then what? Or a bad reason for a good thing, what then?

Good/Bad is relative to the particular situation or person or culture, etc... It's merely an invention and really has no play on the greater scale of things as they were and things to come. New stars will be created while others collapse and 'good' or 'bad' as we know it will cease to exist because it never really existed in the first place, only in the minds of those who felt it existed and all they are is a tiny spec, a brief flash of life in the cosmic game.

Is everyone good?
What makes them bad?
Is there some kind of balance at work?
Do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect)
Does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?)
Are there any neutral actions?
How do they stack up against good or bad?
Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad?
Do good/bad exist?
If they do exist, do they matter?

Being a good person is a function of the degree to which you fulfill your obligations and reinforce your relationships within a group. The reason that we find that notion so confusing is that the main group to which most of us belong, the state, is so huge that we are basically anonymous within it.

The reason that so many people whose friends join the military, the cops, a gang, the varsity team, a new church, take a promotion to management... etc then consider that friend to have turned into an asshole is because that friend begins to associate with their group to the exclusion of what other ties they may have had.

It's also why so many biker gang members are veterans. Having learned to be a good member of a group that cares about them personally they have a hard time going back to being an ok member of a group that wouldn't even notice if they dropped dead in their own apartment.

Youre a good person if you dont go out of your way to harm others or cause harm to others...

Is everyone good?
-Good and bad are latent in each person. But no, not everyone is good.

What makes them bad?
-Actions and thoughts. Who knows, really.

Is there some kind of balance at work?
-I certainly hope so. Lately I think I've seen more bad than good people.

Do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect)
-No, they do not, although we would like to think so.

Does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?)
-Of course.

Are there any neutral actions?
-Neutrality, I'm beginning to think, doesn't really exist.

How do they stack up against good or bad?
-I wonder...

Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad?
-No, I believe there are quite a lot of actions that are good and bad, and the outcome has to do with the intention.

Do good/bad exist?
-Yes, these exist.

If they do exist, do they matter?
-On the larger scheme of things? No. No matter how much we strive to eradicate hunger, the truth is, this will always exist and trying to help, although good, doesn't equate, in the end, to resolving the bad in hunger. In the end, bad/good do not matter.

Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad?
-No, I believe there are quite a lot of actions that are good and bad, and the outcome has to do with the intention.

Often, but not always.

there are no good persons. nor bad persons.
there is only having the decency to avoid making a pain in the ass of one's self,
or the lack of it.

Is everyone good?
Hell no.
What makes them bad?
Their actions.
Is there some kind of balance at work?
Nope, you don't just get good and bad people, there is a grey area.
Are there any neutral actions?
Yeah.
Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad?
It depends, not everyone knows what they're doing is bad nor do they know what may seem harmless may have bed conitations(spelling?).

Is everyone good?
What makes them bad?
Is there some kind of balance at work?
Do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect)
Does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?)
Are there any neutral actions?
How do they stack up against good or bad?
Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad?
Do good/bad exist?
If they do exist, do they matter?

1. No
2. Their actions, or selfishness, or willingness to do evil acts.
3. No.
4. Somewhere
5. Ja.
6. Yes
7. They don't
8. no
9. yes
10. yes

Is everyone good?

No.

What makes them bad?

Evil is error, to paraphrase a teacher.

Is there some kind of balance at work?

Mmmm... sort of. It may not always be obvious, but cause and effect exist.

The rest of the Qs more or less fit in the above...

If I had a complete list, I wouldn't be here; I'd be in a temple, reluctantly leading a new religion or something.

Still, there are some things obviously good (such as giving money or time to the needy) and things that are obviously bad (such as crashing planes into crowded buildings. Unfortunately, there are plenty of things that aren't so easy, such as local elections -- yes, I feel that democrat platforms are generally closer to good to republican platforms, but mindlessly voting democrat all the way will certainly lead to the next Blagojevich. :/

Having listened to Sonata for a Good Man, and having really heard it.

Evidence : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r9W-FjyYss

A "good" person is three words (four if you count the contraction): doesn't get caught.

Good and bad are creations of humanity (and displayed in rudimentary form in other animals). Take away life, and the universe is devoid of morality. Morality does not exist as an intrinsic part of the universe, and human attempts to force their subjective morality upon that universe are profoundly arrogant.

There is no such thing as an evil person, because evil does not exist, and vice versa. Moral prescriptions are not authorititive, they are merely guidelines. Guidelines that can be ignored without consequence by a suitably intelligent person.

Sorry folks, I'm going to be pretty religious in my answers. I pwomise not to be a fundie though. http://fc30.deviantart.com/fs24/f/2007/311/f/4/_innocent__rvmp_by_bad_blood.gif

Is everyone good?

No. Nor is everyone bad. I differ with some of my brethren in that I don't believe that people are evil at their core due to original sin. I believe instead that people are a sort of tainted mix, capable of both good and evil.

Assuming Biblical truth in that humanity was designed in the image of God, surely nothing could wipe away that essential spark of goodness within us. Even so, it's clear that we are not universally good and several examples of our species prove us to be capable of horrendously evil acts.

What makes them bad?

Not to sound like a fundie dork, but I'm going to have to say the answer IMO is sin and the fallen state of mankind.

Is there some kind of balance at work?

Well, I don't know. The official stance of the church seems to be that evil exists as rebellion to good, that is that good is the standard and evil is a result of deviation from good.

Do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect)

No amount of good acts negate an evil act. True, my religion believes that one can be forgiven for sins, but one must still deal with the earthly consequences. It's for this reason that good actions cannot undo bad ones, unless the results of an evil action can be reversed.

Does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?)

I suppose. I can't imagine that a white lie and a murder have the same sort of weight to them.

Are there any neutral actions?

I am going to mow the lawn today after lunch. I could have mowed it before lunch.

How do they stack up against good or bad?

Part of me wants to say between, but at the same time from the perspective of evil being rebellion to good, neutral actions would seem to be much closer to good than to evil.

But that seems kinda weird.

Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad?

No.

Do good/bad exist?

I believe so.

If they do exist, do they matter?[/QUOTE]

These questions come bundled with an implied question of what actually constitutes good. And this is where I'm going to apologize for bringing scripture into it, because I think there are three pieces of scripture that define it beautifully.

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Naturally if you don't believe in God you can't very well follow the first commandment. But the second one's still good.

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

And an apology for one more long one, but this one's my absolute favorite passage. Ever.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I love that bolded part right there. Yeah, sorry. I wasn't trying to preach or evangelize, but I think those passages sum up my opinion better than my own words ever could.

Is everyone good?

All have the capacity to do good.
What makes them bad?
Bad choices, although that doesn't make them intrinsically bad.

Is there some kind of balance at work?
Only in the long run. Short term, we'll see waves of good, and waves of bad actions.

Do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect)
If Stalin saved a life for everyone he killed, that still would make him a bad person. Good actions are not equal to bad actions, if you do something horribly wrong (Like kill someone), and then save someone afterwards, the overall balance is still bad in my opinion. However, reason still matters. If someone killed someone else for the direct purpose of saving a life, that could be considered good, depending on how good or bad the person being killed as been.

Does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?)
Yes, each action has it's own weight.

Are there any neutral actions?
Yes

How do they stack up against good or bad?
Neither way, NEUTRAL! Helloooo? :p

Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad?
No, otherwise torture could be considered good in some cases. The ends do not justify the means.

Do good/bad exist?
Yes, but there's far too much gray in between. Most actions are not 'bad', 'good', or 'neutral', rather, they enter a shade of gray of which goes through our entire lives.

If they do exist, do they matter?
Only insofar as you care whether you're doing more harm to the world or more good to it.

It means nobody's caught you doing bad things yet.

Is everyone good?Probably. Everyone's also bad, though.
What makes them bad?I dunno.
Is there some kind of balance at work? Only if you believe in some kind of balance.
Do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect) No.
Does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?) Again, only if you think so.
Are there any neutral actions? Yeah.
How do they stack up against good or bad? They don't. They're neutral.
Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad? No.
Do good/bad exist?If you think so.
If they do exist, do they matter?If you think they do.




Good and bad are creations of humanity (and displayed in rudimentary form in other animals). Take away life, and the universe is devoid of morality. Morality does not exist as an intrinsic part of the universe, and human attempts to force their subjective morality upon that universe are profoundly arrogant.

There is no such thing as an evil person, because evil does not exist, and vice versa. Moral prescriptions are not authorititive, they are merely guidelines. Guidelines that can be ignored without consequence by a suitably intelligent person.
Incorrect interpretation. There is such thing as an evil person, if society labels certain actions done by people as evil. For instance, if everyone believed eating vegetables to be evil and immoral, vegetarians would become evil. (This only works if *everyone* agrees on it though.... if some groups of people don't, then vegetarianism would not be evil, because it's not unequivocally seen as such by every collective population of humanity. Individual opinions, on the other hand, don't matter because an individual whose perceptions run against society's can usually be dismissed as insane.)

Is everyone good?
What makes them bad?
Is there some kind of balance at work?
Do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect)
Does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?)
Are there any neutral actions?
How do they stack up against good or bad?
Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad?
Do good/bad exist?
If they do exist, do they matter?

Wow, lots of questions...
Good and bad, I think, don't exist by their own merit. They're your actions as perceived by others, basically.
So, a good person would be somebody whose actions are beneficial to others, or at least not harmful.
Nobody is always good, and to some extend good actions and bad actions can balance each other. But they would have to affect pretty much the same person. Giving a lot of money to charity doesn't make you a good person if you keep beating your kids, for example. Which brings me to the next issue : Some actions are so bad that it's near impossible to make up for them, they cannot be balanced ever.
There are neutral actions insofar as they don't affect others too much either way.

Is everyone good?

I think there is good in most people although difficult to see in some cases

What makes them bad?
If only we knew. I suppose the decisions and actions they make.

Is there some kind of balance at work?

I think each side is trying to win. Good is trying defeat evil. Evil is trying to defeat Good.

Do good actions outweigh bad evenly? (you need more good actions than bad without reference to effect)

This brings up the "lesser of two evils" I think they are still just 2 evils. Usually there is a better choice.


Does each action have it's own weight? (put 3 nickles in each parking meter for a block to atone for a white lie?)
I think it does some are easier to atone for than others.

Are there any neutral actions?
Yes, the majority of our actions.

How do they stack up against good or bad?

Neutral actions neither help nor hinder, Good and Evil. Although each side might use them to their side's advantage


Are all actions fundamentally neutral and only the outcome good/bad?

No some actions are down right evil. Some actions are good. Some actions may start off as a "Good Idea" but end up being used for Evil. Rarely the opposite happens but I suppose it is conceivable.


Do good/bad exist?

They do exist and their battlefield is the planet Earth. The world you see about you is the product of that war. It is a battle for hearts and minds. It has been going on for centuries.


If they do exist, do they matter?

They matter and very much so influence our day to day lives from the sidelines.