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The nature of good and evil
The nature of good and evil essay
The conflict of good and evil
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The Nature of the Good and Evil in Society A society is an environment where different types of individuals live together in a more or less ordered community. The conception that some people are good and some are evil is what establishes a society. Evil without good has no interpretation. Likewise, good without evil has no meaning because it lacks opposition. They are inseparable; both coexist because without the dynamics of good and evil, there would be no use of heroes to guide our society. The film The Dark Knight by Director Christopher Nolan explores this notion that both good and evil coexist in order to guide society into what is morally right or wrong. Throughout the film, the goodwill of individuals seems to consistently be tested …show more content…
The Joker, one of the main antagonists, is set as the villain in the film in order for society to agree on what’s evil. The Joker’s character and his characteristic help society to separate him from the dynamics of good, and symbolize him as an evil individual. This symbol is what guide society into the definition and dynamics of evil in the film. One scene that suggests that society is manipulated into what is considered evil is the ferry scene. In this scene, the goodwill of individuals is tested and are forced into a situation where evil seems to be justified. The Joker rigged two ferries with explosives; one ferry full of convicted criminals while the other has “supposed” innocent civilians. The Joker then asked the people on the ferries to choose between who lives and dies. The Joker’s plan is to make the people on the ferries to choose between blowing up the opposition ferry with the goal that evil exist in individuals and the choices they make are selfish. This set of circumstances is where the Joker says, “Tonight, you’re all going to be part of a social experiment.”, and “Tonight, we’re going to learn a little bit about ourselves.” (The Dark Knight) The Joker so-called “social experiment” is an experiment in which he tries to prove that evil exists in each individual and their …show more content…
In addition, the Joker wants the people to know that evil exists in each of them, but it’s up to them to consider it’s necessary because good and evil opposes the other. Their opposition set the dynamics between what the people on the ferries think is morally right or wrong in certain set of circumstances. This scene teaches the parameter of right and wrong by indicating that it’s necessary for both good and evil to coexist because one nature opposes the other, in this case evil is greater than good. Their opposition is what set the dynamics between what is morally right and wrong in society. Evil without good has no interpretation. Likewise, good without evil has no meaning because it lacks opposition. The Dark Knight proves that it’s necessary for one nature to oppose the other, because their coexistence set the dynamics between what is morally right and wrong in society. Harvey Dent, one of the main protagonists, is set as a hero at the beginning of the film for his courage and outstanding achievement in criminal justice. He provides society with hope
... show that criminality and “evil” are not that different, as we tend to define them, but normal human responses that merely become amplified and find a destructive outlet.
The battle of good versus evil is present in all aspects of life. Actions taken by people can determine how others view them. Some choose to do what is right and good, while others choose what is wrong and evil. Many characters are forced to choose between the two, and some do not foresee the consequences of their actions. In the book Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, actions committed by the Davy, Jeremiah, and Jeremiah’s friends, both good and evil, always have consequences.
Throughout his book, Mike Alsford provides examples of the problems many heroes are faced with, and delves into the psychology behind the choices they make in order to solve these problems. A goal for most heroes is to save the innocents while restoring balance between the powers of good and evil, which often involves defeating an enemy. The enemy is often one villain accompanied by a throng of followers - an army, slaves, disciples, and/or brainwashed specimens. Now this is where it gets tricky. The hero knows the villain cannot maintain the present state of power he/she holds without destroying innocent lives, but there is also a link that binds the villain to innocent individuals, and this link is affecting everyone connected to it. As with the conversation in the film Clerks, there is a persistent problem of differentiating the innocents from the guilty. Do we blow up an entire planet because the inhabitants are mind-controlled by an evil dictator, or do we try to break the link that is binding the masses to the one, in doing so freeing the minds of the entire population? How do we decide who is truly evil and deserving of death or who is simply being held under the control of something beyond them? Also, a general problem that arises when battling the issue of who exactly to save is that of humanity versus other lifeforms. Who is more worth saving, based on their species? Are the humans always innocent when standing up against aliens, robots, cyborgs, etc.? Is it justifiable to commit xenocide in order to preserve the human race? What makes humans more worthy of life than others? This is the "greater good" - humans against the universe or one group of humans against another so we can "save the children" - but how have we a...
Evil will triumph because when there is no opposition towards evil, over time even the ethical people will become corrupt. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Death states that Alex Steiner, a German citizen who is a member of the Nazi party, “[had] an itch in his heart, but he made it a point not to scratch it.” (60). Before World War II, Alex Steiner was a man who lived by good morals, however after the rise of Nazism he became corrupted by the Nazi propaganda. The “itch in his heart” reveals that he knows deep inside that his decision to support Hitler, is morally incorrect, however he is so corrupted, that he decides to ignore his subconscious (60). According to an article from The Huffington Post called “Do Good People Turn Evil?” by Adam Grant, it states, “ordinary men would inflict severe pain on others simply because they were asked to do so by an authority figure in an experiment” (Grant). Ordinary people who lived by good morals suddenly decide to cause others pain because someone is instructing them to. When principled people listen to others and let them corrupt their point of view, they make the wrong decision. In the article from The Atlantic called, “When Good People Do Nothing: The Appalling Story of South Carolina's
The lines that define good and evil are not written in black and white; these lines tend to blur allowing good and evil to intermingle with each another in a single human being.
Through the progression of William Golding's Lord of the Flies and the article, “Are Humans Good or Evil” by Clancy Martin and Alan Strudler, a multitude of undeniable evidence is provided to prove that humans are in fact inherently wicked. In Lord of the Flies, a human being’s savage nature and primal instincts are effectively portrayed through the development of Jack, the lead hunter in a group that gets meat for the boys. Little Jack Merridew, who seems to be nothing but a naive and obnoxious chorister, becomes one of the most malicious and violent boys on the island. Jack's wilder side shows itself the most when he goes hunting. Making one his first kills brought such exhilaration, satisfaction, and pure bloodlust, that it drove him to insane limits,
THEME: The line between good and evil is sometimes unclear, and as a result, people often think that they are doing the right thing when it is actually the wrong action, and vice versa.
Interestingly, the movie puts a twist on the the true Batman origin. By having the Joker create Batman by killing Bruce’s parents, the Batman was created to avenge evil. This being said, the traumatic experience has created a hero whose definition of justice is left to the character’s moral. Traumatized, it is clear that the Batman seeks revenge not only because the Joker murdered his parents, but also for interfering with love interest Vicki Vale. By putting Vicki Vale at risk, the Batman’s traumatic experience is tested to the limits. The origins of Batman describes a hero who will not kill, yet in this movie, the Batman easily slaughters villains with a machine gun while flying his plane. A Batman who is willing to kill cannot be justified but is seen as justified to the character as a permanent way to resolve his traumatic experience with the Joker. In the climax of the movie, Batman is hanging on the edge with Vicki Vale. Instead of just saving Vicki, Batman interferes with the Joker’s escape which ultimately leads to the Joker’s death. Through Bruce’s eyes justice was the Joker’s death when he could have just saved Vicki. Although this movie was the most entertaining, it depicts a hardened character faced with the true reality of life. Not all heroes can be pure, and this movie explicitly shows this through Bruce’s actions. Notably, Bruce
Good and Evil in Good Country People In her short story, Good Country People, Flannery O’Connor employs all the elements of humor, irony and, paradox intermingled within the system of Christian belief in evil and redemption. This is no more evident than in the character of Joy, the daughter, who lost a leg in a hunting accident at the age of 12 and who now has a wooden leg in his place. Throughout the story, it becomes increasingly clear that Joy’s physical affliction is closely paralleled by a spiritual one as well. As the narrative unfolds, the great lengths Joy has gone to recreate her inner self, her soul, are revealed in painstaking detail.
Good and evil make the world we are living in today. However evil stands out more than good and people tend to focus on the evil behavior of humans more often. Human nature tends to decide that if someone looks evil they will be evil. The good and the bad make up the goodness in life. It is impossible to always be good or evil but there are things that can make us better or worse as a person. For one to be free, one must live in a world of evil and good.
Good and Evil in Human Nature in Lord of the Flies and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
William Golding believes that society, laws, and morals keep the evil of human beings restrained. Experiencing World War II, Goldin...
Good and evil can be summed up as a difference between rational and irrational thoughts, with the former being related to “good” and the ladder to “evil”. This is a view shared by Immanuel Kant and his Categorical Imperative. In the movie Schindler’s List, we are presented with two individuals, Oskar Schindler, who by the end of the movie displays characteristics of a man following rational thoughts, doing acts that he would want to become universal maxims. On the other end of the spectrum, we have Amon Goeth. Goeth follows his irrational thoughts, using the Jewish people as a means for his own ends.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a novel about a man named Henry Jekyll who
Are we human if we don’t have a choice to choose between acting good or acting evil? A Clockwork Orange directed by Stanley Kubrick is a brutal film that entails many sociological meanings. Alex DeLarge and his “droogs” (gang) live in a derange society of “ultra-violence” and rape. Alex and his gang cause havoc around the town that leads to the “droogs” turning on Alex during a mischievous act on an innocent women and Alex getting arrested. While in prison he is chosen for “treatment” that is suppose to purify Alex and turn him into the “perfect citizen”. We’ve gone over many sociological concepts in class, but the three that I believe apply the most to this film are socialization, deviance, and resocialization.