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The Problem of Evil
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Re: The Problem of Evil
Thank you for linking the other thread, and thanks everyone for responding--I'm already feeling a lot better just discussing and considering this stuff. Makes it feel less emotional and scary! I wonder if despair is there to prompt contemplation, ha.
Oh, just as a side note, thalassa, I was meaning to refer to Epictetus. He has a passage on how a man may overcome torture using his ability to reframe (not the words he used, obvs) the situation in his mind. I thought he was considered a Stoic, but I may be mistaken.
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Re: The Problem of Evil
In relation to the question of why do my gods and goddesses (who I consider mostly good) 'allow' this, the answer is because they are neither omniscient nor omnipotent. They don't 'allow' it because it's not within their control. It's one of the big reasons I'm a hard polytheist.* * *
You can find some of my creative writing at http://libbyscribbles.com
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Re: The Problem of Evil
Originally posted by Maythe View PostIn relation to the question of why do my gods and goddesses (who I consider mostly good) 'allow' this, the answer is because they are neither omniscient nor omnipotent. They don't 'allow' it because it's not within their control. It's one of the big reasons I'm a hard polytheist.
But on a more detailed note I have to say that morality is shaped by biology, reason, and experience, so there a few things all humans and even animals tend agree with each other. We do not think about good and evil because they are objective things, but we think about them because our brains are hardwired to do so. Perhaps not with words, and perhaps not as expected by language, but the "ideas" are there: To avoid the suffering of others, to "do the right thing", to save someone from danger. Love and friendship also exist in nature, just in a different guise.
The reason good and evil trouble humans is due to the fact that we have time to think about it and thus take on a perspective that is not naturally occurring. We are not the slaves of reason, reason is our slave. Thus when we color reason the way we want we end up with a myriad of contradictory philosophies and thoughts.
Originally posted by Tahemet1491 View PostI wonder if despair is there to prompt contemplation, ha.
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