Are the words "good" and "evil" purely religious in nature?

[Quasar]

When the Spanish landed in South America and a culture exchange took place between them and the Indians the Indians had a really hard time understanding what the Spanish meant by "good" and "evil". My point here is that a society that was insulated from ours was free of these concepts.

In the first book the bible talks about the tree of knowledge where it introduces these two concepts. For the rest of the book everything is tainted by these words, would be entirely meaningless without them and as a result our entire "Western Civilization" seems obsessed with these ideas.

Is it possible that they have no reality other than in our heads and we should eradicate them as soon as possible and a byproduct of this process will be the actual knowledge of good and evil?

 

[Approaching Infinity]

When the Spanish landed in South America and a culture exchange took place between them and the Indians the Indians had a really hard time understanding what the Spanish meant by "good" and "evil". My point here is that a society that was insulated from ours was free of these concepts.

In the first book the bible talks about the tree of knowledge where it introduces these two concepts. For the rest of the book everything is tainted by these words, would be entirely meaningless without them and as a result our entire "Western Civilization" seems obsessed with these ideas.

Is it possible that they have no reality other than in our heads and we should eradicate them as soon as possible and a byproduct of this process will be the actual knowledge of good and evil?

That depends on how specifically you define them. I think it's ridiculous to reject the reality of universal, objective values. Some things are objectively better than others, e.g., 2+2=4 is more truthful (better according to the norms of mathematics) than 2+2=5. Certain actions or events turn out better or worse than others. Even the SA Indians would've agreed that there were better or worse ways to build shelters or prepare foods. However, when you get into the realms traditionally associated with good or evil, i.e., human behavior, it becomes a matter of how receptive a person or society is to those values. But even in that realm there are better or worse ways for a society to behave, i.e., which ideals and values they recognize and use to guide their behaviors.

So, if religion is the realm of how to live in harmony with that which is most universal and cosmic, then yes, I'd say that good and evil are religious concepts. It all depends on how you're using the words.

 

[Laura]

When the Spanish landed in South America and a culture exchange took place between them and the Indians the Indians had a really hard time understanding what the Spanish meant by "good" and "evil". My point here is that a society that was insulated from ours was free of these concepts.

Sez who?

 

[Redrock12]

When the Spanish landed in South America and a culture exchange took place between them and the Indians the Indians had a really hard time understanding what the Spanish meant by "good" and "evil". My point here is that a society that was insulated from ours was free of these concepts.

Sez who?

Thank you Laura.
As always, you cut to the chase. You don't accept a statement or theory as truth, or anything resembling truth, unless it's backed up by documentation that is also backed up by further documentation and objective research.
I still fall into the trap of accepting what someone says or writes as truth, simply because it's stated as fact, or is the consensus belief.

Glad you're here to remind us not to accept anything at face value.

 

[denekin]

I don't believe that there is, or has ever been, a self replicating culture that didn't have a stated code of ethics. No such society could function coherently for any length of time. I suspect the Indians who came into contact with the very rigid understanding of Good and Evil promulgated by Catholic Conquistadors would have found such ideas very confusing. That does not mean that they did not have a sense of right and wrong, valid and invalid, contributing to well being and diminishing well being.

Religion and Philosophy share idioms and rhetoric. This makes for a lot of confusion. Issues of Good and Evil defined by religion are often very different from how philosophers define them...I suspect that most non-Europeans were very confused by the rigidity and lack of subtlety in Roman Catholic definitions of good and evil.

 

[Laura]

Exactly, Denekin. The statement that the indigenous tribes of the Americas had no concepts of right and wrong, good and evil (if you prefer), is just ignorant. Plus, the question in the title of the thread is even twisted. "Good and Evil" MIGHT be religious in "nature", but also might not. As Gurdjieff points out, "good and evil" are different for different types/levels of men. At the lowest level, "good and evil" might be determined by religion and that would vary from culture to culture. I say "might be" because for SOME types, "good and evil" is what they like or don't like and they simply create rationalizations, paramoralisms, etc., to justify themselves.

 

[Arwenn]

I think old Quasar is having a lend of us, as is evidenced by this post here and here.

Seeing as they only came here because they found their other-half had downloaded some of Laura's material, I suspect a troll.

I could be way off, just my 2 cents.