Evil is not the Opposite of Good, it's the Opposite of Truth

[Maxmars]

 
Perhaps; but that was not the conclusion of St Augustine. If you had actually read him rather than simply saying you had, you would know that.

An interesting position to find myself in as an agnostic – defending one of the fathers of the Roman Catholic Church against a disciple of the aspiring antipope Vigano.

It seems that this topic, and others like it, are common areas of concern... 'points of attachment'  if you will.

As for characterizing it as a defense or the like, has to do with perspectives established...  I don't know ours are all the same... but it's pleases (at least me) to be able to work through it like this... as opposed to absorbing someone else's conclusions as a baseline of fact.

Thank you very much for sharing what you know... and having the patience to try talking about something which to some appears as an impossible subject.

[Astyanax]

The Apostle Simon called "zelotes" was mainly named so...

Gosh, what a long and solemn response to my throwaway line. 

You might want to read this (paying particular attention to dates.)

[Astyanax]

I do not appreciate being called a liar.   

The best remedy for that is always to tell the truth.

[Bootless]

Please explain all the reasoning steps that make you think that gaslighting is evil?

Also, what of degree? Is writing fiction gaslighting? Is fiction therefore evil?

Give us a robust bit of rational analysis, don't just make unsupported, and possibly unsupportable, statements. We are trying to have philosophical dialogue here, not shouting insults.

If I recall correctly, I wrote "I believe ...".
If I had, on the other hand, written "I shall now demonstrate through unassailable logic, step by step, that ..." then that would be another matter.

I have endorsed FlyersFan's response.

I will add another verse:

James 3, NIV

5Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
 
7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Actually, my belief is based upon two separate anecdotal stories told to me, which I don't feel at liberty to share.

but, bonus: a good example of gaslighting can be found in James Thurber's The Catbird Seat. Being fiction, it's funny rather than evil.

[FlyersFan]

The best remedy for that is always to tell the truth.

I did.
And you just called me a liar again.  
And that's a lie on your part.  
Which is evil ... the whole point of the discussion on this thread.

[chr0naut]

Gosh, what a long and solemn response to my throwaway line. 

You might want to read this (paying particular attention to dates.)

Well, I must confess some attachment to the term, as I am a long time resident of New Zealand.

[Unknownparadox]

Please stop with the silly name-calling.

Sure when you quit being coy about being a smart ass.

You were asked a simple question. 

I was asked a smart ass question. Along with being given some smart ass answers, to things I never said. But I am going to answer that question, at the bottom of this post.

And if you had bothered to read the entirety of the thread.

I didn't need to read the whole thread. I was responding to the post evil is not the opposite of truth. Then got some response evil is not a fixed cartoonish idea, and it is a human construct, as if that wasn't obvious. 
 

I simply wanted to know how you imagined evil factored into our life cycle regarding the human condition.

That is not what I said. What I said was.

And none piss me off more than the one's peddling ludicrous ideas in stark and direct contradiction to the cycle of life.

And here is what that means exactly. Using the cycle of life as a base line for truth, which seems pretty hard to deny. There is a certain group of people, I consider to be evil. Since we know evil is not some fixed cartoonish construct. That like to peddle the idea 3-4-5-6 years olds need to be educated on sex. But clearly the cycle of life doesn't think that. Since humans aren't ready for sex at that age. And we know this to be a fact since humans have a stage in life that makes them ready for sex, AKA reproduction. Which is about a decade later then when these fine people want to start with sex E.D.

I am going to try and be very clear on this. Because this same group of people, have very bad habit of deliberately misconstruing what a person says. Or interjecting things a person didn't say. Which you seem to fall into that category of people.

Humans were put here to reproduce. That much seems to be a fact, evident by the 8.2 billion people on the planet, and 75 million added every year currently. Some humans become curious about reproduction, before they are actually ready for it. At least according the cycle of life and humans. That doesn't mean we need to use the government to force everyone's child to be educated on it a decade before they are ready for reproduction. So based on the cycle of life, humans are ready for reproduction around 14-16. And the idea they need to learn about reproduction a decade earlier is dishonest AKA not truthful and based on my human construct of evil. It is evil.

Possibly best to take your own advice, just a thought.

Here is a thought, quit interjecting things into a post a person didn't say. And quit being a coy smart ass. 

Lastly Like I said when I first replied. Evil, let me be clear on this, the human construct of what evil is. Is always dishonest AKA not truthful. Is evil only not truthful? Probably not.

[UltraBudgie]

okay well reading posts above, and that is what is, and very good points made makes me wonder then about truth

and so a question

can one be truthful and act truthfully without having a reasoned philosophical understanding of what is 'true'?

[andy06shake]

Sure when you quit being coy about being a smart ass.
I was asked a smart ass question. Along with being given some smart ass answers, to things I never said. But I am going to answer that question, at the bottom of this post.
I didn't need to read the whole thread. I was responding to the post evil is not the opposite of truth. Then got some response evil is not a fixed cartoonish idea, and it is a human construct, as if that wasn't obvious. 
 
That is not what I said. What I said was.
And here is what that means exactly. Using the cycle of life as a base line for truth, which seems pretty hard to deny. There is a certain group of people, I consider to be evil. Since we know evil is not some fixed cartoonish construct. That like to peddle the idea 3-4-5-6 years olds need to be educated on sex. But clearly the cycle of life doesn't think that. Since humans aren't ready for sex at that age. And we know this to be a fact since humans have a stage in life that makes them ready for sex, AKA reproduction. Which is about a decade later then when these fine people want to start with sex E.D.

I am going to try and be very clear on this. Because this same group of people, have very bad habit of deliberately misconstruing what a person says. Or interjecting things a person didn't say. Which you seem to fall into that category of people.

Humans were put here to reproduce. That much seems to be a fact, evident by the 8.2 billion people on the planet, and 75 million added every year currently. Some humans become curious about reproduction, before they are actually ready for it. At least according the cycle of life and humans. That doesn't mean we need to use the government to force everyone's child to be educated on it a decade before they are ready for reproduction. So based on the cycle of life, humans are ready for reproduction around 14-16. And the idea they need to learn about reproduction a decade earlier is dishonest AKA not truthful and based on my human construct of evil. It is evil.
Here is a thought, quit interjecting things into a post a person didn't say. And quit being a coy smart ass. 

Lastly Like I said when I first replied. Evil, let me be clear on this, the human construct of what evil is. Is always dishonest AKA not truthful. Is evil only not truthful? Probably not.

Here is a thought, that was not very hard to do.

Maybe try learning some manners next.

But at least you said your piece. 

Crazy diatribe that it is. 

So who put us here if i may ask?

And are you suggesting sex education is evil?

I don't think they should be teaching "3-4-5-6 years olds" about sex either. 

But it is an important subject for them to learn about as they get older.

I don't think they predominantly teach children that age about sex per se. 

It's more about where their private areas are, and what's not appropriate.

Or at least that's how i seem to recall the experience where my own kids and primary school was concerned.

[andy06shake]

okay well reading posts above, and that is what is, and very good points made makes me wonder then about truth

and so a question

can one be truthful and act truthfully without having a reasoned philosophical understanding of what is 'true'?

I imagine knowing right from wrong helps in that department.

As to reasoned philosophical understanding.

I suggest that ability comes about the same time we hit puberty, at around age 11-13.