Tim et. al. spewed this:
>> The problem with the Satan myth is you can't show my one example in
nature
>> of evil. So this horrible force is either too stupid, or
dysfunctional to
>> use our environment against us in this battle.
>
>As far as I can think of, the single most evil thing in nature is us.
>
> Exactly my point. No evil can be shown anywhere in the universe except
as
> done by humans.
Horse manure. First of all, "evil" is only meaningful in (some kind of)
context. But even given a rather generic, lowest-common-denominator
definition of evil, this isn't true. Howard Bloom "scientifically"
examined the origins of evil in human behavior in "The Lucifer
Principle" [1] by drawing on a bunch of things: biology, genetics,
etc... and while his arguments are directed towards explaining human
behavior, many of his arguments and observations can be extended in
various ways to any sort of group or aggregate behavior. Anyone who's
lived on or visited a farm knows this: there's plenty of apparent
"evil" among chickens. (Homework: field trip! Go check it out! :-)
The basic message is this: anywhere in nature where there is group
behavior and / or any form of social structure, there's going to be
behavior that could be characterized as "evil."
BTW, don't misinterpret me: I'm not arguing the Satan argument or for
the religious right; personally I think organized religion and codified
theological dogma are some of the largest sources of "evil" in our
society. I just don't think you can characterize "evil" as a purely
human phenomenon.
jb
[1] The Lucifer Principle : A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of
History
by Howard K. Bloom
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Tim et. al. spewed this:
>> The problem with the Satan myth is you can't show my one example
in nature
>> of evil. So this horrible force is either too stupid, or dysfunctional
to
>> use our environment against us in this battle.
>
>As far as I can think of, the single most evil thing in nature is
us.
>
> Exactly my point. No evil can be shown anywhere in the universe except
as
> done by humans.
Horse manure. First of all, "evil" is only meaningful in (some kind of) context. But even given a rather generic, lowest-common-denominator definition of evil, this isn't true. Howard Bloom "scientifically" examined the origins of evil in human behavior in "The Lucifer Principle" [1] by drawing on a bunch of things: biology, genetics, etc... and while his arguments are directed towards explaining human behavior, many of his arguments and observations can be extended in various ways to any sort of group or aggregate behavior. Anyone who's lived on or visited a farm knows this: there's plenty of apparent "evil" among chickens. (Homework: field trip! Go check it out! :-)
The basic message is this: anywhere in nature where there is group behavior and / or any form of social structure, there's going to be behavior that could be characterized as "evil."
BTW, don't misinterpret me: I'm not arguing the Satan argument or for the religious right; personally I think organized religion and codified theological dogma are some of the largest sources of "evil" in our society. I just don't think you can characterize "evil" as a purely human phenomenon.
jb
[1] The
Lucifer Principle : A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History
by Howard K. Bloom
--------------A73B9D51D49A3FB7955810C8--