Do you believe in Evil?

What about a hired hit man? Is he evil? He's not doing it for pleasure (theoretically).
He may or may not enjoy it. He could be doing it because he has no choice (literally forced to do it by a mob boss's order) or he might just be someone who made a career out of doing something he enjoys.
 


He may or may not enjoy it. He could be doing it because he has no choice (literally forced to do it by a mob boss's order) or he might just be someone who made a career out of doing something he enjoys.

Well that was kind of what I was getting at. He's only Evil if he enjoys it, otherwise, as long as it's for the purpose of a career, (career=hitman is so bizarre) then he's not Evil? Don't know if I buy that.
 
Well that was kind of what I was getting at. He's only Evil if he enjoys it, otherwise, as long as it's for the purpose of a career, (career=hitman is so bizarre) then he's not Evil? Don't know if I buy that.

I think evil is a relative term....

I mean, what if a hitman was killing someone in an affiliated field, such as the MOB? Is that guy more "evil" then a a dad who beats his kids? Perhaps the victim was a hitman himself....

Is it evil that we splurge and self indulge ourselves while being well aware that there are many kids dying around the world?
 
Well that was kind of what I was getting at. He's only Evil if he enjoys it, otherwise, as long as it's for the purpose of a career, (career=hitman is so bizarre) then he's not Evil? Don't know if I buy that.

Why should it be bizarre? There are 1,500,000 hitmans in america alone. They are called United States Armed Forces. One of their tasks is to kill, but are they all evil? I very much doubt so. You really don't have to be evil to kill.
 
Why should it be bizarre? There are 1,500,000 hitmans in america alone. They are called United States Armed Forces. One of their tasks is to kill, but are they all evil? I very much doubt so. You really don't have to be evil to kill.

I already thought of that and was saving it for when someone said that the hitman is just evil for killing people, period.

Sooo many shades of gray.
 
Well that was kind of what I was getting at. He's only Evil if he enjoys it, otherwise, as long as it's for the purpose of a career, (career=hitman is so bizarre) then he's not Evil? Don't know if I buy that.
A non-evil person wouldn't choose bounty hunting as a "career" in the first place if he/she had other options.

The act of killing for profit in itself is no doubt evil though.
 
There is no good with out evil. So do you believe in good? Do you believe in white without black. Well, with out being part of the KKK.
 
A non-evil person wouldn't choose bounty hunting as a "career" in the first place if he/she had other options.

The act of killing for profit in itself is no doubt evil though.

So then entering the military means your evil? Cause as said above you're basically signing up to be as a hired killer.
 
How about this: Virtually all of us in the world are conscious (between sleeps), and we prefer to keep on living and being conscious with some enjoyment, and without too much distress, as long as we can. Call that kind of consciousness, and its prospects, "good life" for short. We know we want it for ourselves and certain people around us, and we know everyone else does, too, in their own lives.

People's "good life" can be harmed by increasing their distress, or by shortening their lives, which can add distress to still other people's lives.

We could say that "good" is human activity that tends to increase the sum total of "good life" for everyone. "Evil" would be any human activity that reduces the sum total of "good life" for everyone, by deliberately and knowingly disregarding or harming "good life" for other people who haven't themselves deliberately harmed anyone else's "good life".

OK, that's my philosophy for today. I'm sure it's not perfect, but I have the idea that the whole question seems tied up with consciousness and its desirability somehow.
 
So then entering the military means your evil? Cause as said above you're basically signing up to be as a hired killer.

Depends on your motives upon entering.. most think they're entering actually serving to protect this country. It isn't as if the military has the highest standards for entry. Evil is a consciousness, if you know not what you do.. you're conscious should still be "good". But if someone enter full well knowing what they've signed their name onto, yes imo they're evil.
 
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEQDL6_rGfY&feature=fvwrel"]Dr Evil & Minime- Its A Hard Knock Life - YouTube[/ame]
 
So then entering the military means your evil? Cause as said above you're basically signing up to be as a hired killer.

Depends on your motives upon entering.. most think they're entering actually serving to protect this country. It isn't as if the military has the highest standards for entry. Evil is a consciousness, if you know not what you do.. you're conscious should still be "good". But if someone enter full well knowing what they've signed their name onto, yes imo they're evil.

^this. Just like there are good cops and bad cops.

(believe me there are good cops - negative generalizations of cops only help the bad cops blend amongst the good cops).