Some argue that evil people are powerful, while others argue that the evil are weak and should be pitied. Boethius is a Christian, who purely relies on logic to argue his points. In the Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius argues that the wicked do evil but thatand evil is nothing; therefore, the wicked can do nothing and should be pitied. Although
Boethius’s view on God is somewhat plausible. Contrary to Boethius’s view, evil is something which can wreak havoc on others’ lives.
Boethius argues that we should pity the evil because they are weak. To set up his argument for why the evil should be pitied, he begins by explaining that doing the good, which is achieving self mastery through virtue, will lead to happiness because one’s virtue cannot be stolen, unlike material objects such as money (iii.4).The desire for material objects is insatiable, but the quest for self-mastery leads to contentment.(iii.4). People are not in control of material objects, and once they lose them, they will fall into perpetual sadness ( ii.5). Everybody wants happiness, but we established that people can only be happy if they are good, something which the wicked cannot achieve (iv.2). This leads to the conclusion that the wicked are weak because they are unable to seek happiness.
Boethius shows that since the wicked desire to attain the good, but are too weak, they have to resort to using a lesser good, evil (iv.2). However, since only the ultimate power, virtue, can lead to happiness, these earthly powers are not actually powerful at all. In fact, evil is nothing because God cannot do evil, and since God is omnipotent, the power of doing evil is not real (iv.3). [good] People who do evil are not even human because they cannot seek the purpose of humans, which is self-mastery, and they are beasts instead as they lead their lives by their desires (iv.3). They cannot seek the reward of eternal happiness, and will be stuck with sadness and weakness until they reform forever. Therefore, the wicked are similar to sick patients who are too weak to recover and should be pitied because instead of being treated, they are harshly rebuked by lawyers and judges for their evil actions (iv.4).
Boethius mentions that evil is nothing, but clearly
Good v. Evil, it’s way more than just a concept, it’s more of a lifelong struggle inside of you. What more could you do when evil is shown all around you? Many of us may see the struggle between good and evil in the people we come across everyday. Flawed individuals may be perceived as good but are bad in the eyes of someone else; it all comes down to how you see it. The exposure to things and memories you make help impact the good in you. In order to further evaluate the argument of how good can come out of evil and good can show up even when it’s not right in front of you, can be shown in both William Golding’s novel Lord of the flies and the Anonymous Anglo-Saxon poem of Beowulf. This essay asserts that,
When I think of the concept of “evil,” I think of The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. In The Consolation of Philosophy, Lady Philosophy stated:
“Happiness is in the enjoyment of man’s chief good. Two conditions of the chief good: 1st, Nothing is better than it; 2nd, it cannot be lost against the will” (Augustine 264-267). As human
Good and evil; two simple words that hold an infinite amount of power. Though they are similar in this aspect, it is a compelling argument that ‘evil’ is stronger and more powerful than ‘good.’ William Shakespeare wrote in his play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar: “The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones.” As true as this quote is, the fictional and modern proof accentuates the veracity of the statement.
Evil can be categorized into two forms, moral evil and natural evil. Moral evil is brought about by bad choices that stem from our free will. Natural evil is bad things that happen to people, whether they deserve them or not. The problem with evil is,
evil, it is what you percieve of it. He also said people are not evil, they
The reason that we even have an experience of a perceived evil is because for the soul to experience itself as any particular thing, the exact opposite of that thing must come into the realm of existence. In other words, in this relative existence, hot cannot be hot without cold, darkness cannot be without light, and you cannot be you without that which is not you. So I believe that what we call evil is just the opposite end of the spectrum of good, not something separate.
situation, the circumstances that made them their souls evil, not so much themselves. They really
While the idea of ‘good’ is a subjective analysis that must be observed on a case by case basis, happiness is capable of being defined. Happiness is the ultimate ends to a mean. In performing the proper function of man (rationality) we are using means to achieve ends,
evil creates or brings good. Yet, if there was only good we would not have to
Book IV is the turning point in the theodicy, in the first chapter Boethius is truly puzzled by the presence of evil in the world. "But the greatest cause of my sadness is really this - the fact that in spite of a good helmsman to guide the world, evil can
To understand evil we must first understand the concept that good and evil are term or words referring to what one given individuals believes to be the right and wrong thing to do. Good, many times
We begin to define the line between good and evil and the way in which it can corrupt human beings. The message portrayed that evil and the misuse of power is an ongoing matter, one in which could affect anyone and is partially an involuntary act – the evil animalistic behaviour becomes engraved into minds; like Goeth.
What is considered evil depends upon each individual’s view of morality, which constantly changes through the course of that person’s life. Roy Perrett’s “Evil and Human Nature” explains this by elaborating on the customary interpretation of moral evil. This evil, caused by an intentional bad action or harm, opposes another type of evil, natural evil, which occurs without
The problem of evil is as ancient as humanity itself. Since the dawn of man, thinkers, philosophers, religionists and practically every human being who have suffered at the hands of evil have pondered this enigma, either as a logical-intellectual-philosophical or emotional-religious-existential problem. The preponderance of evil as a reality in human existence, and