One of the concepts at the foundation of human nature is the origin of justification for every single problem in the world. “Oh, we are the good guys, and they are the bad guys”. For the entirety of human existence, this argument has been used to justify killings, shame, and hatred, but where do these ideas come from? Are we really justified in calling each other “good” and “evil”?
We must think of where these concepts emerge from. As Nietzsche argued, these concepts originated from those who were in power, and used it as a divide to get between them and the people below them. Honestly, Nietzsche is very right in this regard, and we can still see its impact even during the present. Think of how many wars have been justified, how much hatred has been spread, how much equality has been exploited, because of this fundamental concept of good and evil. “Oh, they’re different? They’re bad. Oh, they have different beliefs? They must be evil and we need to teach them our “good ways and nature. Oh, they deviate from the norm? We must correct that since that isn’t a good thing to do.”
We hear the arguments on a daily basis. And, to be perfectly honest, the majority of us submit to this type of slippery slope. I know I have in a few more occasions than I would like to admit to. However, we can say that the majority of the people that use these arguments are trying to control the masses to rally behind their twisted ideals. I will admit that there are some cases where this good vs. evil argument is justified, such as ISIS killing innocent people in the Middle East. However, we can’t just use that as an excuse to say it’s a battle of morality and nothing more. These conflicts are much more complicated than that, and we need to educate ourselves and figure out how to tackle these problems effectively and morally.
Another fallacy with these concepts is the fact that they seem to be black and white: what is good is good and will always be good, and that is the same for evil. However, the world is not so cooperative with such black and white concepts. We can look to a classic problem of utility to see this anxiety in full detail: The Trolley Experiment. You have a train hurdling down the track and there’s a fork. On one side you have one person tied to the tracks, and on the other side you have any number of people, generally three or five. And YOU have control of the lever to decide which track the trolley is going to take. So, what choice do you make? Do you save a single person and have more blood on your hands, or do you save the multiple people? From a Kantian viewpoint, you are committing a crime regardless: you are taking someone’s life. However, you are going to be considered evil either way, and sometimes necessary evils are just what they are: necessary, and in this case someone needs to die. As the morally just man Spoke from "StarTrek" always says “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” There are many variations of this experiment, but the substance is always the same: and ethical dilemma.
The Trolley Experiment is a prime problem that blurs the line between good and evil and shows just how weak these concepts actually are. The reality is that these concepts are generally defined by those in power during a specific time, and it is from their view point that these concepts come into society and are generally accepted without question. It is very difficult to say that something is an absolute good or evil, since it generally depends on the situation and the circumstance behind the action. Truth be told, we must stop labeling things as good and bad, and just say that they are. You might call a breakup that you’re currently going through bad and that the person who broke your heart is evil, but in the long run you learn not only about yourself and what mistakes you made, but it also allows you to change yourself to become a better person for a brighter future. It is then that you might consider that breakup “the best thing that ever happened to you”. It is all about perspective and circumstance. Take things as they are, and think for yourself and let them impact you as they do. What seems bad now might be a very good thing for you in the future.
