And I'm not "denigrating" mankind.
Calm down Walkingshadow.. I never said you held the same belief as the Joseph Conrad, the author you quoted.
Go back and reread my post and tell me where I stated that associated YOU with that logic.
All I was trying to state is that good and evil as they relate to mankind are physical representations of man's will, not something to be explained by supernatural forces.
If man alone is capable of wickedness, does it not follow that man alone is capable of good?
The supernatural, by its very definition, is beyond the laws of nature and thus is not quantifiable using physical methods.
m-w.com
But BELIEF in the supernatural CAN, AND DOES, influence, AND/OR motivate the willful acts of those individuals who hold those particular beliefs.
Also, I referenced the acts of cruel instinctive behavior displayed by certain animals for a reason. It is evidence that nature itself could be considered inherently wicked for "programming" its creatures to inflict inordinate pain and suffering upon prey.
Thus, the fact that animals instinctively commit cruel and unjustifible acts negates the logic that only man is capable of wickedness.
What man alone IS capable of is WILLFUL EVIL.
But then again, man alone is capable of WILLFUL GOOD.
So it's a wash..
Wickedness has to be a willful act, just as goodness must. Everything else we can account to instinctive programming, or learned behavior (which manifests itself as instinct).
Btw, next time, please don't be so defensive.
Regards,
Ron |
