Are You Good?

[Diagoras]

Well are you?

I am going to make it easy and ask you to describe only 3 events that would define you as a good person. Or for any resident recidivists and lawyers in the house the 3 things that would define you as 'bad'.

I am not going to answer it myself before before giving it some thought...

Why the philosophy section? Well hopefully this will steer in this direction.

[China Cat Sunflower]

You'll have to define "good."

I'm somewhat good but not terribly altruistic. I'm quite bad, but not diabolically. Society wants me to be good in ways that make me more controllable, predictable, and herd-able. I'm not sure that's good for me, though.
Chris

[Eclectic Mystic]

Originally Posted by Diagoras

Well are you?

I am going to make it easy and ask you to describe only 3 events that would define you as a good person.

I only need to list one: having a Divine Origin.

[Sam Albion]

it's a difficult one to define. What is good, and, good for whom?

A scary-looking Black British mugger flies down the street with a middle-class white woman's laptop. What happens next?

Rugby-tackling the mugger and holding him until the police arrive might be viewed as a good act, but it's not good for the mugger. Oh yes, the mugger might seem bad, but he's just stolen a rich woman's laptop beause his mother needs a lifesaving operation and she lives in deepest darkest Africa. The woman who had her laptop stolen looks upset, and she's wearing a nice suit, but she's got pornos on her lappy, and she's a child abuser. Pc Plod, who cuffs the mugger and drags him off to jail, actually hates his job, beats his wife and smuggles cocaine from the stores in work to sell to teenagers outside MacDonalds. The rugby tackler only leapt for the mugger because he was trying to impress a woman who works in the post office. Nobody here is good. There's just different shades of grey.

Just like in real life.

I like to think any God worthy of my worship can see the grey, and doesn't mind grey so much as long as it's never too dark a shade.

[Eclectic Mystic]

Originally Posted by Sam Albion

it's a difficult one to define. What is good, and, good for whom?

You pointed out the error of your example here:

Originally Posted by Sam Albion

Nobody here is good.

Your example doesn't adress what is good... only what isn't

I personally don't ever feel like taking the effort to define "good" other than by saying "Goodness is good." How do you know if something is good? BECAUSE IT'S GOOD, THAT'S HOW.

[Sinful Hypocrite]

I am the worst bad person.

Why?

1.Because I know what is good and do not do it .

2.Because I know what is bad and still do it..

3. Because I do not even try most times.

[Diagoras]

Originally Posted by China Cat Sunflower

You'll have to define "good."

I'm somewhat good but not terribly altruistic. I'm quite bad, but not diabolically. Society wants me to be good in ways that make me more controllable, predictable, and herd-able. I'm not sure that's good for me, though.
Chris

It is arguable that people are herd animals, we are a social omnivore that gathers in extended groups. This behaviour evolved and made as successful enough to become the dominant species on the planet. You can argue about how good or bad that is but you cannot argue that it was our social instincts that have enabled that "success". That success gives you a comfortable life where you can sit and ponder being a hedonist or an anarchist....without all the discomfort of actually living in a society of hedonistic anarchists. Am I right?

[Diagoras]

Originally Posted by Sam Albion

Just like in real life.

Originally Posted by Eclectic Mystic

Your example doesn't adress what is good... only what isn't

Sam,

Its a good post...it bears one in good stead to be able to ponder the bigger picture... but how then does anyone ever trust anyone? So like EM says...what is good?

[Diagoras]

Originally Posted by Sinful Hypocrite

I am the worst bad person.

Why?

1.Because I know what is good and do not do it .

2.Because I know what is bad and still do it..

3. Because I do not even try most times.

I may present you with some competition....

[sonisis]

Originally Posted by Eclectic Mystic

"Goodness is good."

This is absolutely meaningless. Because "good" has no tangible reference, it is a subjective and context-sensitive word.

If something tastes good to an individual, it is because the contact of the food on the tongue releases chemicals in the brain which makes someone feel good. The feeling is the tangible reference and is equated with good.

In order to define what it is to be a good person, we have to look at the desired results.

What is it a person does in order to be defined as good?

For me it is someone who can cultivate their own happiness with no detriment to anybody else. If we were all able to focus on cultivating inner happiness the world as a whole would be a better place.

If we need to look at the characteristics of individual happiness then we can do. For me it is a sense of peace, fearlessness, the ability to be fearlessly spontaneous, honesty, respect and sensitivity towards others and the world.

[Sam Albion]

good cannot exist in isolation -- goodness is not a totality, was my point. What you, the individual deems to be good, might not be good for me, another individual. Who decides what is right? True? Good? I cannot define good. To try to define good, without including specifics cannot be done. Good in what context?

Is apple pie goodness? It is tasty. It is sweet. It is satisfying. Easy to make.

But... it's not so good if you're allergic to apples. I cannot define goodness. Goodness is an artifical construct.

[c0de]

Properties like "good" and "evil" can only be inherent to human beings if we are the cause of ourselves. Since it is clear that we are not, no one is anything inherently good or bad. We just are what we were made to be. Superficially, labels like good and bad are just used out of convenience. But unless you are God Himself, such judgments don't mean anything.

[Sinful Hypocrite]

Originally Posted by c0de

Superficially, labels like good and bad are just used out of convenience

Prison was never very convenient for those good or bad people.

[c0de]

Originally Posted by Sinful Hypocrite

Prison was never very convenient for those good or bad people.

It is for the society which convicts them.

The ones with the power get to do what's convenient for them.

[Sinful Hypocrite]

Originally Posted by c0de

It is for the society which convicts them.

The ones with the power get to do what's convenient for them.

True. Power is the root of all evil.