Re: Do you feel insignificant?
Date: April 25, 2009 12:32PM
Alias Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Prof. wrote:
>
> "I will neither confirm nor deny that allegation.
> Hey look, an elephant!"
>
> Too bad it wasn't pink.
Why you decided to respond to our other discussion in this thread is a question of the ages.
> "Darkness can exist in caves or rooms where the
> sun doesn't penetrate...."
>
> If you lived inside a cave, darkness would have
> no meaning. Only, if you wandered out and saw
> light, would you understand darkness. Darkness
> would have existed but you would have been unable
> to identify it.
So now your contention is that at one point in time light would have to exist in order for us to understand darkness. Right? So light doesn't actually have to exist currently. If that's the case, then using the analogy, evil only had to occur one time.
Also I think this analogy fails since we could know of light through the actions of photons, which is what bounce off objects to be interpreted by our brains through our rods and cones.
In a technical sense, light/dark do not exist, just like good and evil. So your comparison is more apt to support my basic contention.
In any event, this still doesn't refute the notion that (supposing evil is a descriptor of actions) evil is not necessary for only good to exist. As I repeatedly mentioned, knowledge of evil action might be necessary - but the evil action itself is not.
> So... yes, good could exist without evil....
> but, again, there would be no concept or
> understanding of good.
>
> And, without the two opposite poles of good and
> evil, there can not be a middle.
I don't actually think this is true - you first have to refute my second contention, which your above argument doesn't address.
I'll repeat it:
"2. Measure them against the *IDEA* of evil. In this approach, evil actions or 'evil existence' (whatever that means) does not actually have to exist. The ability to conceive of these actions does. "
> "Say you are an atheist and you think that
> Epicurus's dilemma is a powerful argument for the
> nonexistence of god."
>
> I’m not an atheist and epicurus' problem with evil
> does not dissuade me from believing in God. But,
> yes, it is a decent argument.
That's fine, I was making a point as to why this argument might be necessary.
> "This lends support to the idea that we could
> imagine evil even if it never occurred. If you
> doubt this, then you'd need to explain the volumes
> of fiction, science fiction, and fantasy that
> stock library shelves."
>
> Is Lady Gaga distracting you?
???
I think she might be distracting *you* since you responded in the wrong thread.... ;-)