Psience Quest

(2017-08-28, 07:29 AM)Obiwan Wrote: [ -> ]...and do you mean 'the bad things that happen or that people do' or something that exists in its own right?

Are you trolling me? 

(2017-08-28, 07:54 AM)Stan Woolley Wrote: [ -> ]Are you trolling me? 

Lmao. Good lord no. But I'm sure you're seeing sometimes apparently simple questions, aren't

(2017-08-28, 08:19 AM)Obiwan Wrote: [ -> ]Lmao. Good lord no. But I'm sure you're seeing sometimes apparently simple questions, aren't

It's the same with people, don't you find? 

(2017-08-28, 12:08 AM)Max_B Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for the two examples that you find evil... but what is evil... how is evil defined?

When I've looked at examples people give, I've often found that they are relative... that is what is evil from one persons perspective, is not evil from another persons perspective. So I've struggled to define what evil actually is... the stuff I think of as evil is stuff like what Fred & Rose West did to those poor girls...

The definitions are definitely relative. What is evil for some people is not evil for animals or plants.

Quote:In the past I've considered whether evil might be better described as an emotion/feeling... for instance if you had a pallette of emotions... like a pallette of paint colours... what emotions would you use to mix up the emotion of evil...? When I try to think back about some very 'evil' event I've encountered from the past, I find really strong feelings, real intensity, I think perhaps I can identify 'fear', 'rage', 'frustration' being present within the feeling of 'evil'.

I really connected with bits of this post Max. 

The psychology of things has a lot to do with overcoming evil in my opinion. Don't ask me to understand it logically, it is an intuition. 

(2017-08-28, 12:20 PM)Stan Woolley Wrote: [ -> ]I really connected with bits of this post Max. 

The psychology of things has a lot to do with overcoming evil in my opinion. Don't ask me to understand it logically, it is an intuition. 

I tend to see things in terms of "seeking the light" rather than in relation to something else. In what I'm saying here, I don't mention evil, it isn't something which plays a role in my thinking.

To make an analogy, I saw a film on TV some time ago, As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me, a story about a long trek across inhospitable territory. Often it seems an analogy to the battles we face in this life,  where the primary opposition isn't anything of substance, it is simply the enormity of what needs to be accomplished.

I had a dream a few weeks ago, where I was giving advice to someone else in an unbelievably awful situation. But on waking it seemed more like advice I needed to heed myself. It was, "Don't ever lose hope. No matter what.".

(2017-08-28, 01:32 PM)Typoz Wrote: [ -> ]I tend to see things in terms of "seeking the light" rather than in relation to something else. In what I'm saying here, I don't mention evil, it isn't something which plays a role in my thinking.

To make an analogy, I saw a film on TV some time ago, As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me, a story about a long trek across inhospitable territory. Often it seems an analogy to the battles we face in this life,  where the primary opposition isn't anything of substance, it is simply the enormity of what needs to be accomplished.

I had a dream a few weeks ago, where I was giving advice to someone else in an unbelievably awful situation. But on waking it seemed more like advice I needed to heed myself. It was, "Don't ever lose hope. No matter what.".

As usual Typoz, a very thoughtful reply. 

Do you mean that you seek out the light in each circumstance you encounter? See the good in everything? I think that may be a way of dealing with some things, but can you really use it in cases where reality demands a more practical approach. Maybe you believe that it never does? In cases such as the West's, I find it hard to see the light, nevertheless, I'm sure it can be found. Am I on the wrong track here?

That was a deep dream. Mine are usually run of the mill nonsense, like the rest of my life. 

Occasionally I have interesting ones, where would they go? (In the forum)

(2017-08-28, 02:01 PM)Stan Woolley Wrote: [ -> ]As usual Typoz, a very thoughtful reply. 

Do you mean that you seek out the light in each circumstance you encounter? See the good in everything? I think that may be a way of dealing with some things, but can you really use it in cases where reality demands a more practical approach. Maybe you believe that it never does? In cases such as the West's, I find it hard to see the light, nevertheless, I'm sure it can be found. Am I on the wrong track here?

I suppose I see it in terms of a personal journey. I'm much less sure what to make of the actions of others.

Occasionally there is some high-profile reporting of a trial in court of the perpetrator(s) of some dreadful acts. And maybe a leading judge or perhaps a politician will comment that such-and-such a case was one of "unspeakable evil".  I think we all know what is meant by such words, but then one has to ask, what is it that causes something to be described as "evil" as opposed to say "criminal".

Quote:That was a deep dream. Mine are usually run of the mill nonsense, like the rest of my life. 

Occasionally I have interesting ones, where would they go? (In the forum)

I'm not sure where they would go in the forum. There should be some place for personal experiences, whether it needs further subdivision I don't know.

Not all my dreams are meaningful. Last night I had a restless sleep with some interesting dream content. But after waking for a short while and asking myself what it all meant, then going back to sleep, a later dream seemed to give the answer that it had been unimportant nonsense, not to be taken seriously.

Quote:Occasionally there is some high-profile reporting of a trial in court of the perpetrator(s) of some dreadful acts. And maybe a leading judge or perhaps a politician will comment that such-and-such a case was one of "unspeakable evil".  I think we all know what is meant by such words, but then one has to ask, what is it that causes something to be described as "evil" as opposed to say "criminal". 

I think there is a difference in the example you gave. Something may be 'criminal' but far from 'evil'. Possibly the word 'evil' shouldn't be used somewhere that needs strict definitions, as it is subjective. 

To me the word evil conjours up feelings of the supernatural, the darkness.

Stan Woolley Wrote:I think there is a difference in the example you gave. Something may be 'criminal' but far from 'evil'. Possibly the word 'evil' shouldn't be used somewhere that needs strict definitions, as it is subjective. 

To me the word evil conjours up feelings of the supernatural, the darkness.

The trouble is, popular culture often conflates the two (supernatural, the darkness). That is to say, for example ghosts are something to be feared, death is something to be feared, even parapsychology is something to be feared, if one is to take a cue from the movie 'Red Lights'.

I'm not saying there is no darker aspect, but is it something of substance, or simply an absence of light?