• MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net
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    6 days ago

    the existence of evil, which is not a thing per se, but the absence of good

    …what? The absence of good is indifference. Evil takes effort, you have to work at it. It’s the difference between trying to help the homeless, ignoring the homeless, and burning down tent cities.

    • GaMEChld@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      It’s a philosophical position of St. Augustine. Defining Evil as the absence of Good akin to darkness being the absence of light, or cold being the absence of heat.

      This is kind of what I was talking about in my top post about diving into discussions without even agreeing on definitions.

      Without a shared vocabulary, 2-way communication doesn’t actually occur. It’s just two people talking past each other, both missing each other’s points.

      I wouldn’t be so quick to draw a hard line in the sand about the definition of something as abstract and nebulous as “Evil.”

      You might find this video interesting, it’s about a comic book villain but gets into very very abstract stuff.

      https://youtu.be/fcJ8QmogoXY