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

[IdeomotorPrisoner]

I think its the other way around.

Or as Pink Floyd once said:

There is no dark side of the moon, really, as matter of fact, it's all dark.

What if our morals are there to fight the indifference of the universe?

The universe is hostile, indifferent, and lacks will. It runs on coded laws that govern systems.

So it helps us lowly cretins crawling on far flung physical bodies to feel like we are in control.  So we have self-determined meaning and purpose, and while this sounds like nihilism, it's just deism. 

A belief in a Supreme Being who created the universe but does not intervene in its affairs or in human events.

Its intelligent design. Like a computer game with a few basic parameters that can only increase in disorder and complexity. 

What are amino acids compiling into proteins other than a law to increase in disorder?  The organic is ALSO bound by a directive similar to thermodynamic laws to have our systems increase in disorder, AKA evolve.

*Or* develope complex behaviors driven by survival.

We love because the universe is impersonal.
We have mutual respect because the universe doesn't.
We have purpose because the universe runs on law-based automation.
We have fixed destiny because its unknown.
We have spituality because we need a little extra help to deal with the unknown and the automation.

Like a veiled survival strategy. 

For me, the valley of the shadow of death is actually the entire universe, not a selective part of it, the entire thing and our existence in it.

The divine concepts and morals we hold so closely are more or less the compass to navigate through this indifferent dark valley.

And things like empathy, love, and so on increases our survival chances. Helps us thrive.

Without love, where would you be now?

And while its all just survival strategy, it's a damn good one, and works with the way our universe was encoded.

Example if unclear:

Family A is a nice hard working family, with upright morals, and a live and let live spirit. Giving and friendly, always willing to help.

Family B are angry drunk criminals who steal checks and sell meth. They often  pick fights with their neighbors.

Which Family has a better chance to avoid the hostility of the universe?

[UltraBudgie]

If the universe appears hostile, indifferent, and impersonal to you, please consider that may be merely your perception. I assure you, it is as living and active as the Word. You see, God, in His infinite grace, allows us all the room we desire to explore our doubts and find such distance as we choose from Him. This doubt is given consistency and form in the shape of "science", a never-ending pursuit of imperfect counterfeit truth drawn into existence before us that we might explore ourselves and find our own way home to the Father. See beyond this veil, and nothing is impersonal. Nothing is indifferent. Death is an illusion, love is life, and life is everywhere.

Simple as.

[Maxmars]

I think its the other way around.

Or as Pink Floyd once said:

There is no dark side of the moon, really, as matter of fact, it's all dark.

What if our morals are there to fight the indifference of the universe?

The universe is hostile, indifferent, and lacks will. It runs on coded laws that govern systems.

....

Great stuff!

I wonder myself about our deeply entrenched need to determine whether we 'engender' the universe to the same degree as we engender our human world.

We anthropomorphize so much... even in reason...
so much so that our reason can't see that it is, in effect, trapped... or isolated if you prefer.

Perhaps there is an "outside" looking in perspective... we may never consciously know.

[Bootless]

So we have self-determined meaning and purpose, and while this sounds like nihilism, it's just deism. 
...
Example if unclear:

Family A is a nice hard working family, with upright morals, and a live and let live spirit. Giving and friendly, always willing to help.

Family B are angry drunk criminals who steal checks and sell meth. They often  pick fights with their neighbors.

Which Family has a better chance to avoid the hostility of the universe?

Deism doesn't negate existential nihilism. 

I swear, the way people use nihilism as a pejorative it won't be long before it's listed as an indicator for terrorism!

-----

Family B was in the next town over resupplying there product when the earthquake, fire, tsunami, and tornado destroyed the town that family A lived in, wiping them out. But family B are all going to die in the end too. That's the hostility of the universe.

They've got this Florida character in custody who is accused of the Pacific Palisades fire. Family A and B probably lost everything in the fire.

[IdeomotorPrisoner]

This doubt is given consistency and form in the shape of "science", a never-ending pursuit of imperfect counterfeit truth drawn into existence before us that we might explore ourselves and find our own way home to the Father. See beyond this veil, and nothing is impersonal. Nothing is indifferent. Death is an illusion, love is life, and life is everywhere.

That doesnt work for me. Awesome it works for you, though. I am almost envious of your ability to hold that view. 

For me: Thou shalt not anthropomorphize or give earth gender to the creator of the universal coding! 

I am firmly on "team dead god" though. Or "materialist" works too..

I cant think of a greater personal hell then thinking nothing in life was impersonal, or things happen for divinely interactive reasons.

The idea that I'm "god's special little creature," so much so I even get personal divine intervention, seems like how schizophrenia happens. 

Fucking shoot me if I ever...

I'm not even fully sold on free will.

I am not sold our genetics doesn’t make our decisions on an unconscious level to some inescapable degree. Like the reason separated identical twins tend to make the same decisions in life without knowing each other.  You build on how you were coded from the start. 

Your unconscious knows before you think its a spontaneous idea. Like I was always going to post this comment in response. 

I won't decry it for others, but at my core, I find it impossible to be an actor of life with the supernatural governing my cause and effect.

I think the ideomotor, normal cause/effect, and experience  are enough. And prefer statistical and selfish reasons i can fix myself for why the universe is shitting on me.  And if that fails, "Shit happens." 

It exists lke an aversion to looking towards the supernatural for personal reason.

[sahgwa]

I think its the other way around.

Or as Pink Floyd once said:

There is no dark side of the moon, really, as matter of fact, it's all dark.

What if our morals are there to fight the indifference of the universe?

The universe is hostile, indifferent, and lacks will. It runs on coded laws that govern systems.

So it helps us lowly cretins crawling on far flung physical bodies to feel like we are in control.  So we have self-determined meaning and purpose, and while this sounds like nihilism, it's just deism. 

A belief in a Supreme Being who created the universe but does not intervene in its affairs or in human events.

Its intelligent design. Like a computer game with a few basic parameters that can only increase in disorder and complexity. 

What are amino acids compiling into proteins other than a law to increase in disorder?  The organic is ALSO bound by a directive similar to thermodynamic laws to have our systems increase in disorder, AKA evolve.

*Or* develope complex behaviors driven by survival.

We love because the universe is impersonal.
We have mutual respect because the universe doesn't.
We have purpose because the universe runs on law-based automation.
We have fixed destiny because its unknown.
We have spituality because we need a little extra help to deal with the unknown and the automation.

Like a veiled survival strategy. 

For me, the valley of the shadow of death is actually the entire universe, not a selective part of it, the entire thing and our existence in it.

The divine concepts and morals we hold so closely are more or less the compass to navigate through this indifferent dark valley.

And things like empathy, love, and so on increases our survival chances. Helps us thrive.

Without love, where would you be now?

And while its all just survival strategy, it's a damn good one, and works with the way our universe was encoded.

Example if unclear:

Family A is a nice hard working family, with upright morals, and a live and let live spirit. Giving and friendly, always willing to help.

Family B are angry drunk criminals who steal checks and sell meth. They often  pick fights with their neighbors.

Which Family has a better chance to avoid the hostility of the universe?

I'm just a stupid pagan type occultist but while I see the allure or perhaps lazy thinking of giving-up in viewing the Universe as indifferent and only humans as having compassion and love, I think it leads to a more fulfilling life to view everything as having a piece of yourself. The Universe as a breathing living entity.  Each photon and molecule is vibrating just like we are, and who is not to say that the Milky Way is not the organ of a larger being?
Perhaps the Universe may seem indifferent and randomly cruel to a lot of people, but I am sure if we were ants we would think that lawnmowers were also indifferent and cruel.  Fact is this calls in to question the semantics of the word indifferent.
Kind of like the difference between love and compassion.
I think harmony is the best thing - The Universe has a living breathing frequency, a vibration, just like each individual organism or even stone.  
If we view our environment and Universe as fulfilling it's function by being alive, then we will more likely try not to upset the balance and to respect it more.
This will perhaps lead us to live healthier more fulfilled lives, instead of depressing ones where we think that nothing matters and we are insignificant in an indifferent Universe.
Rather, the Universe breathes with us, and everything wants ultimately to Unite with everything else.

[sahgwa]

That doesnt work for me. Awesome it works for you, though. I am almost envious of your ability to hold that view. 

For me: Thou shalt not anthropomorphize or give earth gender to the creator of the universal coding! 

I am firmly on "team dead god" though. Or "materialist" works too..

I cant think of a greater personal hell then thinking nothing in life was impersonal, or things happen for divinely interacting reasons.

The idea that I'm "god's special little creature," so much so I even get personal divine intervention, seems like how schizophrenia happens. 

Fucking shoot me if I ever...

I'm not even sold on free will, honestly. 

While the free will debates are painful sometimes, I'm not entirely yet sold our genetic coding doesn't make our decisions on an unconscious level to some inescapable degree. 

Like the reason separated identical twins tend to make the same decisions in life without knowing each other. 

There seems to be a component where you get wired to trend towards certain outcomes in a very material way. 

Your unconscious knows before you think its a spontaneous idea. Like I was always going to post this comment in response. 

I won't decry it for others, but at my core, I find it impossible to be an actor of life with the supernatural governing my cause and effect. I think the ideomotor and normal cause/effect are enough. And prefer statistical and selfish answers for why the universe is shitting on me.  

It's exist like an aversion to looking towards the supernatural for reason.

In my opinion part of existence is learning to accept our lives, each painful thing, as a learning experience, even when it is painful and kills people or oneself. To be thankful for the opportunity to feel things and to have senses. To grow and adapt, in the journey towards a larger understanding and greater being. 
All else in my opinion is stagnation, neuroses or other mental dis-eases.
Furthermore, there is nothing supernatural about a series of higher selves, or beings helping other beings along.  Just the same as you would help an old lady cross the street.

[sahgwa]

All life is parasitic in some perspective.

Humans have a distinction that we presume control is something we can
achieve with the act of assertions....

well.. to be honest, I recognize that's presumptive in and of itself.

Edit to add more pertinent to the topic (sorry... I just had to hit "post." :) 

Evil is a category of manifestation... we choose to include things which are sometimes... not.

Inexplicable tragedy?  Evil has befallen you... (but you know, maybe not really.)

People doing stupid and incomprehensible things?... They are evil.

One of the most prominent features of Evil is the perversion and decimation of truth...  

But if that's all it were, it would not be insidious and persistent beyond reason... evil persists
even with the knowledge that it serves no purpose other than to bring pain.

Evil is a thing.  It exists...

But some might argue that it has to... it resolves moral 'definition' we seem built to refine... as humans.

We all know (I think) that the most evil thing is not someone hurting someone else on purpose, it is actually far worse to be ignorant and harming someone else while thinking pretending or even saying you are helping them.  Ignorance is the true evil, along with egotism and hubris.  We are all unique in some way, and special in our own way, but ultimately all equal in 'value'.

[UltraBudgie]

Like I was always going to post this comment in response. 

It exists ike an aversion to looking towards the supernatural for personal reason.

Well don't confuse the entirety of reason with empirical reason. Some of the most nuanced and beautiful reasoning I've found is in the field of theology.

And of course none of this is to say science is bad. It is what it is. I love science! For what it is. It's quite handy.

I do not believe it an either/or. Right tool for the job. Could we stand pure truth in the world? Immutable, eternal truth? It would be the ant-like slavery you say you abhor, I agree. Science is God's velvet glove, plush and conformed for our comfort (as is the world). Or discomfort, such as to measure of our discontent.

I don't consider anything "invalid", per se. I think there is a philosophic continuum, of materialism, gnosticism, panentheism — an adaptation of our perception, each appropriate to various states and phases of the ego. You might notice for example that I often drop in to a materialistic view, when it's appropriate for the topic or audience. I'm not being disingenuous or dishonest to myself when I do that. It's like putting on a wetsuit.

That thought you inspired of God's presence being hellishly paralytic, it has me thinking. What is evil? Death is often mentioned. Yet 'tis "a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd". Devoutly. With God, death is transcendent. Without, hell. So maybe: evil is the death of ego in the absence of God.

Great. Now I'm gonna go mull a bit about all the ways that might intersect with example. Thanks.

Ta-ta.

[Maxmars]

Whether our reality is a construct of self-organized components operating with algorithmic synchronization, or perhaps manifests as an energetic vibrational play of harmony and chaos.

I am becoming more certain that we often lose our footing between the necessarily human world, and the natural one.

But there is a component which many skirt around...
one that cannot be said not to exist... just like evil.
Human realities?

The anomaly of love.

Is love ONLY human?
Is love dependent on quantum states, molecular bindings, and system of memories?
Or is it truly... anomalous.

And what of her sister... faith?
And their little sister ... hope?
Is that a strictly 'human' family?

And why does it matter so much, individually, when it can't be measured, at all?

Though shalt not anthropomorphize indeed