In the world at large, anything that is considered to be evil needs to be defeated. This assumption presupposes that if people fail to initiate a crusade to stop evil, that evil will not only be self-sufficient, but also expansionist. That is a romantic idea, but it doesn't reflect how the world operates. The failure here is to properly define the core nature of good and evil.
The definition of "good" from the Webster's 1828 Dictionary:
1. Valid; legally firm; not weak or defective; having strength adequate to its support; as a good title; a good deed; a good claim.
2. Valid; sound; not weak, false or fallacious; as a good argument.
3. Complete or sufficiently perfect in its kind; having the physical qualities best adapted to its design and use; opposed to bad, imperfect, corrupted, impaired. We say, good timber, good cloth, a good soil, a good color.
And God saw every thing that he had made, and
behold, it was very good Genesis 1:4.
The definition of "evil" from the Webster's 1828 Dictionary:
As can be seen from the definitions of good and evil, how can an evil ever be a longstanding threat? Evil trips on it's own feet and foibles, evil is is aversive to it's own ends. Good is a virtue, while evil is vice. In the construction of a building, the good quality of the wood, foundation, and craftsmanship are chalked up to virtues, while crooked framing, a cracked foundation, and sloppy work are all chalked up to structural vices. A virtuously built building will stand the test of time while the other crumbles in less than a decade.
While evil may not be permanent, it can be temporary though. Therefore, when talking of an evil, don't set it up to be an immortal titan that we have to rise up to depose; but rather as a temporary tyrant that will fall when given time. This is naturally no excuse to tolerate an evil, but this argument implying that an evil will never be a mach for good by definition.
The definition of "good" from the Webster's 1828 Dictionary:
1. Valid; legally firm; not weak or defective; having strength adequate to its support; as a good title; a good deed; a good claim.
2. Valid; sound; not weak, false or fallacious; as a good argument.
3. Complete or sufficiently perfect in its kind; having the physical qualities best adapted to its design and use; opposed to bad, imperfect, corrupted, impaired. We say, good timber, good cloth, a good soil, a good color.
And God saw every thing that he had made, and
behold, it was very good Genesis 1:4.
The definition of "evil" from the Webster's 1828 Dictionary:
1. Having bad qualities of a natural kind; mischievous; having qualities which tend to injury, or to produce mischief.
Some evil beast hath devoured him. Genesis 37:2.
2. Having bad qualities of a moral kind; wicked; corrupt; perverse; wrong; as evil thoughts; evil deeds; evil speaking; an evil generation.
3. Unfortunate; unhappy; producing sorrow, distress, injury or calamity; as evil tidings; evil arrows; evil days.
As can be seen from the definitions of good and evil, how can an evil ever be a longstanding threat? Evil trips on it's own feet and foibles, evil is is aversive to it's own ends. Good is a virtue, while evil is vice. In the construction of a building, the good quality of the wood, foundation, and craftsmanship are chalked up to virtues, while crooked framing, a cracked foundation, and sloppy work are all chalked up to structural vices. A virtuously built building will stand the test of time while the other crumbles in less than a decade.
While evil may not be permanent, it can be temporary though. Therefore, when talking of an evil, don't set it up to be an immortal titan that we have to rise up to depose; but rather as a temporary tyrant that will fall when given time. This is naturally no excuse to tolerate an evil, but this argument implying that an evil will never be a mach for good by definition.
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