Bad is not the opposite of Good, they are of course relative.
Bad, in a general context, is the absence or opposite of that which is described as being good.
Perceptions
are based on contrast, so that Light and dark, good and evil, are
imperceptible without each other; in this context, these sets of
opposites show a certain symmetry, but a basic study of optics teaches
us that light has a physical presence of its own, whereas darkness does
not: no "anti-lamp" or "flashdark" can be constructed which casts a beam
of darkness onto a surface that is otherwise well-lit.
Instead,
darkness appears only when sources of light are extinguished or
obscured and ends when an object absorbs a disproportionate amount of
the light that strikes it.
It’s been said darkness is merely the absence of light, and the same can be said with regard to good and bad; bad is simply the absence of Good.
Morality is subjective.
Most of us lie somewhere between the extremes of Gandhi and Hitler on the spectrum of human behavour.
Sometimes
we may behave badly, when egocentric impulses cause us to put our needs
before the welfare of others. Sometimes we behave in a saintly fashion,
when empathy and compassion impel us to put the needs of others before
our own, resulting in altruism and kindness.
No comments:
Post a Comment