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The Dichotomy: The Concept Of Good And Evil

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The concept of good and evil is a popular dichotomy found in many fields such as religion, philosophy, and psychology. Philosophers continue to ask the question whether human beings are innately good or evil and often state that human nature is much greater in complexity on the scale of human behaviour. It is important to define what good and evil is, understanding the complexity of human behaviour and applying personal experiences relating to the topic. As to question whether humans are innately good or evil can be a misleading concept which can lead to conflicts.
To define these terms, goodness, which in this case refers to the lack of selfishness and destructiveness. Goodness is associated with charity, love and justice, it is the ability …show more content…

Humans have both the qualities of good and evil when egocentric impulses take over, humans are capable of making selfish and cruel decisions. When empathy and compassion compel humans to place the needs of others above their own, this results in respect, kindness, and selflessness. The difference between the classic concept of good and evil is that empathy and the lack of empathy are not a fixed concept in humans. Empathy and goodness is a concept which can be developed. This idea is recognized and promoted throughout all the major religions, with the practice of meditation, prayer, and fasting in religions from Buddhism to Christianity, the idea is to reflect and meditate to become detached from materialism and to develop humility which in turn develops an individual’s empathy and selflessness. As recognized by most justice systems, the idea that goodness and evil are fluid has to lead to a more restorative justice type approach when dealing with criminals. By assuming humans that commit bad crimes are distinctly evil and must be thrown in prison and punished results in a system meant for retributive justice. Instead of punishing and locking the bad people away, this process of restorative justice allows offenders the opportunity to seek out rehabilitation through talking with the victim, to understand how their crime affected them which often results in developing a sense of

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