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The Root of All Evil is...
Posted by asoothsayer • 5/07/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: evil
Is there one root that builds the tree of evil, or is it a combination of many?
User Comments
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The Corporate personhood -
Satan is the root of all evil-
Sorry, I meant Santa
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ironically Saint Nicolas's companion Krampus is the visual basis for the modern Satan Myth
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Freudian slip?
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stop badmouthing Santa! -
Santa is a fat man who watches little children. Pervert. -
I am going to pretend you didn't say that
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it would have to be many. "Man" is his worst enemy.-
So true!
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GREED -
Ignorance -
Money. IMO. If you look at all the evils or corruption of the world..it comes or starts with money. War, Poverty, Crime, Depression, Hunger, Greed, Corporate Overtaking....The Macy's Saturday Sale.-
true, isn't there a quote: "money is the root of all evil"?
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would u rather trade barter
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2 potatoes for 2 of your tomatoes?
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the individual
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hence... Work Camp?
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The root of evil is good, since evil is the absence of good - root which is situated well upstream of any moral consideration.
beingandquirckiness.blogspot.com/2008/12/good.html-
That made my head hurt. -
no different to blogging, a steep learning curve
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That is seriously complex.
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believing in evil and making a big fuss. -
the root according to be is a belief that you can do whatever you want as long as you dont get caught. A belief that you can escape from what actions.
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wrong place
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The Root of All Evil is...harbored by the blind.
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oops! wrong spot
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The root of all evil feeds a dragon.
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George W. Bush?
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If evil's roots are showing, then it's time to get another bleach job.-
that's disturbingly profound o_0
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Jealousy -
The root of all evil are credit cards. -
Dick Cheney -
Question: The Root of All Evil is ...
Answer: Most evil thoughts, words and actions are rooted in egocentricity and fear
Deeper answer:
We Buddhists believe that our attachment (craving desire within) to specific outcomes, as well as our aversion to other outcomes is the root cause of unhappiness and suffering.
When we fail to acknowledge that these attachments and aversions (self serving ego driven agendas and fears) are just outwards displays that contain no essence of power other than what we give to them - we suffer and we cause suffering in others. -
I'd say greed.
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I think evil is an antiquated term and should be scuttled. The main thing in life, I think, is to survive and help others survive (including the non-human population). That's the great work of the future, breaking down cultural barriers and making that our common goal.
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Agreed. But if you are into a deeper discussion then please consider the points below.
Do you think all of us or some of us more likely to being drawn to, and/ or seduced by and/or brainwashed into doing evil by the following factors and conditions?
(1) Being born as a male with an extra X chromosome that inclines such men towards a highly aggressive behavior?
(2) Being a psychopath who lacks a conscience?
(3) Being a child who is abused and molded by adults to become aggressive, combative and abusive? (ie. think of both abused children in violent households and consider child soldiers too)
(4) Being raised countries wherein nationalism has become equivalent to religion and patriotism has become equivalent to idolatry?
(4) Embracing particular religious and political ideologies?
(5) Choosing to adopt lifestyles, vocations and professions that include being praised and/or rewarded for demonstrations of aggression and violence?
(6) Being drafted into or volunteering for military service and enjoying the hierarchical structure, the privileges of rank, roles, wearing uniforms, following orders, and the powerful feeling that comes with being trained to kill other human beings?
(7) Being raised in a home and/or society wherein using dehumanizing racist, discriminatory labels to describe others who are not of the same skin color and/or ethnic background is the status quo?
(8) Being raised in a home and/or society wherein demonizing people who have not embraced the same or similar ideologies and role models ie. heroes that we have embraced is the status quo?
(9) Being raised in a competitive dog-eat-dog society wherein competition and becoming a "winner" by emulating role models who have demonstrated a propensity for abusing, torturing and killing others is the status quo? -
I don't envision any utopia ahead. It would take an enormous effort on the part of every individual on the planet to develop the self-awareness and self-control necessary to behave compassionately and non-violently. Aristotle said: "What lies in our power to do also lies in our power not to do." I think that's incontrovertible. I think we are all responsible for our actions, even the so-called psychopath. Genetic and cultural factors can incline a person in a certain direction, but to go in any direction one must take a step. That step is not forced upon us by any external circumstances; it is our own choice.
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Thanks for the thoughtful reply.
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Estrogen -
I don't think you can blame just one Baltic state, Lithuania and Latvia are probably just as much to blame. -
@ekim941
I can't resist countering with testosterone -
@TT Testosterone always counters estrogen
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Unless it becomes aromatized into estrogen
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@ekim
True but when they encounter they don't lead to evil
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desire..?-
I think so
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hate is the root of all evil-
Do you think that
hate = aversion
love = attachment
context: www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/the-root-of-all-evil-is#comment_929863
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AdSense. -
I find the question of evil to be very difficult to answer from a moral perspective. I think we would all (hope at least) that a serial killer is evil, wicked, and unnecessary. However, we view soldiers who kill for a living as moral, patriotic, and necessary. I'm not demonizing soldiers, but it makes me wonder about the idea of right and wrong.
One idea I've had, that I'm totally up for discussion/accusation (lol) is in how we evolved the behavior to determine our morality. The idea is that morality evolved out of evolution. If you look at the moral code, or the universal laws by which most humans abide - aka, the ten commandments - it seems to counter older evolutionary needs and reactions. We have a survivalist propensity for stealing if it means we live - but we should not steal. We have a natural inclination towards sex with multiple partners - yet it is taboo to practice within the boundaries of marriage. What if we are curbing our evolutionary impulses for the betterment of a larger community?
So with that said, evil is somewhat akin to Satre's "hell is other people" comment. Evil is our natural propensity for survival and that which ignores our generally accepted cultural code of conduct. -
ego -
Al Gore -
Right Away Perfection instead of Continuous Progress.
Look at Nazism or even look at Corporate World: Short Performance Mantra vs Long Term Quality, see the true spirit of Quality by its founder which has nothing to do with the Corporate Spirit of Six Sigma:
statistical-process-control.org/dr-demings-revolution/
Deming’s teachings challenged American business practice at almost every point. Among his most revolutionary ideas were the notions that poor management–not slacker workers–was responsible for most quality problems, and the way to boost quality was to carefully measure defects and the effects of changing processes. -
Religion
(The absolute corruption when given absolute power)
WW-
Religion or faith or both?
If faith applies, would you include humanism? -
Hmmmm I think it's more the fact that those in power are absolutely corrupted.
I have yet to meet someone who HAD power not abuse it at some point.
Religion is absolute power (because not only are you doing what is the rule - you are doing those rules because you believe that something EVIL or WORSE will happen to you if you do not... It's implied threats... It's fear at its worst.)
So - by following religion - are you absolute evil?
No - you are following the ROOT of the Evil.
*GRIN* -
Kant (with his categorical moral imperative) is the root of all evil. 97% of Xtians are Kantian, 100% of humanists.
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It's Barry Manilow.
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lifestyle -
a lot, but I bet mostly Ignorance -
Greed, pride and lust all have an effect on our lives. but according to the Bible the root of all evil is the love of money.
It is not wrong to want a good income or even wealth. It is not wrong to be confident in what you do. Having sexual desires is not wrong. The love of money turns these into greed, pride and lust. -
Egocentricity manifest in the form of hanging onto bitterness and seeking revenge instead of choosing to forgive.
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I guess the root of all evil is ignorance. Due to lack of knowledge Satan considered himself superior than Adam (Peace be him). He argued that because he had been created by fire so he was too superior to prostrate Adam (Peace be him) who was created from Clay.
As a result of that he became a non believer and instead of asking Gods forgiveness he requested a period to live till the day of Judgement, so he promised to misguide Adam (Peace be upon him) and his offspring and he is working hard to prove he is better than Adam and his offspring.
Because of our ignorance we often act upon Satan's whispers and do evil.
Therefore in my personel point of view ignorance is the root of every evil.
Sorry if my reply is too long.
Thanks a lot for a great question. -
Inside us all -
arrogance. -
A lack of grace
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