Showing posts with label Morality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Morality. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

What Does Justice Look Like?



Justice has not as much to do with individuals as a society.  It is certainly possible that in order to establish justice that some individuals must be separated out to the rest should be kept safe, but justice mostly has to do with how a society at large functions.  But justice cannot be seen as strictly punishing the wicked.  Punishing is a negative and justice is a positive and we cannot create a positively just society by negative action.

But what does a just society actually look like?  Does every person have what they need?  Or do they just have the means to obtain what they need? Is justice a society that considers itself safe?  How much safety is required for there to be justice?  Does a society have to both enforce their fears and their anxieties?  What is the cost of a society without fear?

What is the basic foundation of justice?  Many people consider that law is the foundation of justice.  What law?  Who can create a perfectly just law?  How should such a law be enforced?  And can law and enforcement, by themselves, create a just society?

Others think a just society is created by giving everyone basic rights.  What kind of rights?  Can freedom of speech give justice to everyone?  If someone has the freedom to threaten, then is that part of the foundation of justice? If some rights cannot be allowed, and justice is based on rights, then where is justice found?  What balance of rights can create justice?

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Discovering Evil



It is tough enough to figure out what is good, but at least we can have a basic agreement as to what is good for people in general.  But what is evil?  Does it even exist? Can we actually nail down what evil is?  Is evil anything that harms another person?  or is there an outer standard of evil so that one might think a person was doing good, but was really doing the worst of evil actions?

What is the source of evil?  Where does it come from?  Does it come from a personal source, like Satan or certain people?  Is evil systemic, so it mostly comes from an improper government or institution?  Or is evil found everywhere, in every heart, in every animal?  Or is it found nowhere, in no heart, in no place, in no system?  If evil can't be found, then was Hitler evil or Stalin?

Is evil about action or about motivation?  Is it the intent that matters, or what a person actually does?  Can a person be evil without actually having done anything?  Can evil exist by not doing good?  Or does one have to perform an evil act in order to be actually evil?

(BTW, I love Invader Zim.  Especially Gir.  "I love-ed you piggy... I love-ed you...")