Im starting to feel evil

[Xylem]

I used to be an extremely moral and sensitive child but through years of life ive started developing an objective viewpoint on the world.

I still care about people i see suffering but words like moral to me now just seem ridiculous.

An above thread spoke of moral choices and i feel im unable to make moral choices anymore.

Do i pick a choice that involves me helping others to my own detriment? No y shud i. tbh i dont care about starving africans etc enough.

My point is im starting to see life through very objective calculating eyes and im thinking the line between me and evil is getting closer.

[tame_deuces]

Sounds more like you are getting older. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Mr_Moore]

"My point is im starting to see life through very objective calculating eyes and im thinking the line between me and evil is getting closer."

You want to give some examples of this?

[Praxis101]

I'm busy thinking about the future and I probably self-reflect too much and stuff. I'm a senior in college and have not chosen any particular path now and am freaking out about everything, always.

I often foul up every day interactions, basic things like saying hi to people i know or chit-chatting with friends when i run into them. I'm always in my own world. I figure I can work my ass off and eventually be able to do some good in the world, but now in the present while I'm thinking about it and working on it, I may be evil. [I know I'm not OP but i think i can relate]

[Splendour]

Its interesting you trace this to your objectivity. Detachment in some sense makes for a disconnect. Its primarily through our emotions that we stay connected to the world and to people.

God IS love. Love is suppose to be a good emotion but there's nothing objective about it. Seems like God as related in religious text never sees the need to divide emotion from reasoning. Not sure why. Its another avenue to explore.

[tame_deuces]

1. Objectivity is the ability to see things from a non-subjective perspective, it isn't 'detachment' or 'disconnection'.
2. Without cognition you can't stay connected too the world at all, you actually can without emotion. They work in tandem, but cognition is most important.
3. Most of the larger religious have roots in societies/philosophies that predate the Greek philosophers and 17th-18th century philosophers that advocated logic and reasoning. That's why you don't see emotion and reason so strongly separated.
4. Humans love, we don't need god to explain our magnificence.

[Splendour]

I find Mother Theresa's quote interesting. It seems she has substituted another's perspective for her own.

She said "I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich could get for money. No, I wouldn't touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I willingly cure him for the love of God."

[tame_deuces]

It sounds pretty, but you lost me there, so I don't know where you wanted to go with that quote. I certainly don't object to the notion that theists believe god exists and that this may influence their actions.

[hitch1978]

[ QUOTE ]

I certainly don't object to the notion that theists believe god exists and that this may influence their actions.

[/ QUOTE ]

I believe this is true also. People who believe in god, tend to, IMHO, believe in god. I also agree with you that this may influence their actions. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[tame_deuces]

I'm well aware that it isn't a very interesting statement, that was kinda my point.

[Metric]

I wouldn't worry too much. The really evil people tend to be the ones who assume they're morally justified in every choice they make. Acknowledging an uncomfortable proximity to evil probably means that you're both careful and honest and that I'd tend to trust your judgement.

[onesandzeros]

Re: "Im starting to feel evil"

It's normal. I'd bet that you are not however. I'm sure you basically treat others as you wish to be treated and that would lead me to believe you are not at all "evil".

[hitch1978]

Sorry deuces, my point was aimed at splendour, not at you. I was trying to agree with you, I feared it would come across this way - my bad.

[Splendour]

I was actually contrasting Mother Theresa's quote/idea with this part of your list:

1. Objectivity is the ability to see things from a non-subjective perspective, it isn't 'detachment' or 'disconnection'

[tame_deuces]

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry deuces, my point was aimed at splendour, not at you. I was trying to agree with you, I feared it would come across this way - my bad.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's all good! Linguistic circle-running ftw! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

As a complete sidenote, there was done some experiments on this, and some 80% felt their written words was misinterpreted 'in tone' by the reader when 'debating' in controlled/experiment settings (I'll disclaim that this is abit hazy memory for me, but the general principle is true atleast). Something for all of us to consider on a message board I guess. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Hijack over!

[Duke]

I think it takes at least some megalomania to -not- be evil. I'm the most generous person that I know, and I think it stems from me feeling obligated to help out those less fortunate than myself. I include about 99.99999% of the population in that group.

I only avoid that behavior when I think that someone is a jackass, and in that case I screw them over. You'd be shocked at how few jackasses I come across, though.

[MaxWeiss]

Like Spendour said, it's very interesting that you call your feelings "objective" and that you find an inherent link between your selfishness and your so-called objectivity.

[m_the0ry]

Mother Teresa was an agnostic, if not an atheist, for many years prior to her death. She still cared about other people up until her last day, however. 'Faith' has nothing to do with this.

What does is the fact that empathy is a mind muscle. If you decide you don't need to use it for some period of time, you will become increasingly bad at it. Empathy is one of the most powerful and important tools that humanity has developed. It doesn't matter if it can be reduced to biological tricks or neuron behavior, we have evolved for this capability because it helps us survive.

Those without any empathy are certainly less fit. They are the sociopaths. Those who are capable of empathy but do not use it are just making a poor mistake, something that is easily correctable with practice.

[Xylem]

My op was extremely vague and general. As my understanding of the world slowly changed things like morals and integrity seem to me to just be ways of making yourself better in society.

I could be 100% Mr Nice guy and still be unhappy if i didnt get the rest right.

My point is that as i started to think, i saw actions as just techniques for self gain.

I could live in the 'real' cold hearted selfish world.
Or ignore it altogether and be mr nice and try to live 'good'.

Surely knowing the above choices in itself makes me more likely to be 'evil'.

I know at the mo im sensitive to others feelings and like to help someone suffering, but i would say it seems less and less logical to me.

[Splendour]

[ QUOTE ]
My op was extremely vague and general. As my understanding of the world slowly changed things like morals and integrity seem to me to just be ways of making yourself better in society.

I could be 100% Mr Nice guy and still be unhappy if i didnt get the rest right.

My point is that as i started to think, i saw actions as just techniques for self gain.

I could live in the 'real' cold hearted selfish world.
Or ignore it altogether and be mr nice and try to live 'good'.

Surely knowing the above choices in itself makes me more likely to be 'evil'.

I know at the mo im sensitive to others feelings and like to help someone suffering, but i would say it seems less and less logical to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you're more likely to be good than evil. My impression is that selfish people are only aware of their own goals so they hardly think of the other world at all.

[madnak]

[ QUOTE ]
I know at the mo im sensitive to others feelings and like to help someone suffering, but i would say it seems less and less logical to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

No action or motivation can be logical. Logic doesn't create goals, it can only show you how to achieve them. The idea that obsessive acquisition is somehow "more logical" than compassion is the height of irrationality.

[drzen]

[ QUOTE ]
I find Mother Theresa's quote interesting. It seems she has substituted another's perspective for her own.

She said "I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich could get for money. No, I wouldn't touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I willingly cure him for the love of God."

[/ QUOTE ]

You couldn't be more wrong. She is not saying she is doing it because God thinks it's a good thing. She is saying she does it because she loves God and does it because she thinks it will please him. (Serve him is closer to it, I think.) Mother Theresa was not sympathetic. The quote you give expresses that. She served God. You can do that without giving a [censored] about the people you are helping.

[drzen]

[ QUOTE ]
Mother Teresa was an agnostic, if not an atheist, for many years prior to her death.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is quite common among the religious.


[ QUOTE ]
She still cared about other people up until her last day, however.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, I think this is quite untrue. I don't think she had much sympathy for other people on a temporal basis, because she considered their spiritual wellbeing much more important.

[ QUOTE ]
'Faith' has nothing to do with this.

[/ QUOTE ]


I suspect you're simply not all that familiar with Mother Theresa and her motivation.

[ QUOTE ]
What does is the fact that empathy is a mind muscle.

[/ QUOTE ]

Erm.

[ QUOTE ]
If you decide you don't need to use it for some period of time, you will become increasingly bad at it. Empathy is one of the most powerful and important tools that humanity has developed. It doesn't matter if it can be reduced to biological tricks or neuron behavior, we have evolved for this capability because it helps us survive.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well,that's kind of how evolution works.

[ QUOTE ]
Those without any empathy are certainly less fit.

[/ QUOTE ]


Hm. Not sure that's true. Maybe they find it harder to get mates?

[quotes]They are the sociopaths. Those who are capable of empathy but do not use it are just making a poor mistake, something that is easily correctable with practice.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure that in practice the difference makes any difference, IYKWIM.