Is it possible to know Good with out knowing Evil?

Discussion in 'General Philosophy' started by Sly, Mar 28, 2011.

  1. The Ape Hunter Registered Senior Member

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    The answer to your question is one of the lessons within the account of the "tree of knowledge of good and evil" from within the Garden of Eden.

    Most persons completely misunderstand the meaning of "the tree of knowledge of good and evil". Atheists commonly perceive that Christians have a God that says its evil to possess knowledge. Or at least, have a book which teaches that its evil to possess knowledge.

    However, simply by virtue of perceiving & claiming such a thing, Atheists definitely prove that they have something witch is depriving them of knowledge

    From the day in which they were created, until the day in which they ate of the tree of knowledge of good & evil, the first man & woman had experienced only good. However, intellectually, they didn't possess an understanding of "good" because they had never been exposed to, or experienced any evil with which to compare good.

    For them, "good" was simply the only thing they had ever experienced... it was simply the way things were & the way they had always been. "Good" was the only experience of their entire life up to that point. In order to more easily get a understanding of this explanation, we'll liken it to "taking something (good) for granted". When that occurs, its as if one is oblivious to whatever is taken for granted

    On the same token, if you were a Black person & your entire life's experience had been amongst only White persons & you had never experienced, or even heard of, racism, then you wouldn't know that they were being "color blind" because you would be without knowledge of racism. Thus, their color blindness would simply be the way which is life... but not something particular

    Therefor, the tree of knowledge of good & evil, in itself, contained neither the knowledge of good, nor the knowledge of evil. But rather, the act of disobedience to God is what contained only evil. Thus, by having eaten from the tree, they added only evil to their life experience. However, after experiencing the evil which they caused, by comparison, now they knew good also.

    Hence, the "tree of knowledge of good & evil"

    Perhaps, its the least understood of all trees. However, it receives close competition from the fig tree which withered & died after Jesus cursed it
     
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  3. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    Really? What knowledge are we deprived of?

    Um, no. Otherwise it wouldn't be the tree of... (as opposed to act of...)

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    Nor would it be knowledge of good and evil.
     
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2011
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  5. wellwisher Banned Banned

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    The tree of knowledge of good and evil describes a certain type of knowledge, which differentiates behavior into a polarization of good and evil. Science is also a form of knowledge, but it does not differentiate phenomena into good and evil rather tries to make an objective accessment.

    Science has been known to subjectively overlap science knowledge with the tree of knowledge of good and evil, when it deems one form of science suspect and calls another good or correct. For example, the science of manmade global warning made it evil to not go along with the concensus. Luckily those doing the "evil science" stuck it out and were able to help detach the subjective effect of good and evil from science and return science to being more objective to all the data.

    The tree analogy for knowledge of good and evil is appropriate symbolism since it shows how knowledge of good and and evil grows and evolves. A tree grows above the ground and below the ground. One aspect is in the sun light (good) and the other aspect in the dark (evil).

    As either aspect of the tree grows (above or below) the complementary aspect will also will grow. The trunk is analogous to a fundamental moral knowledge of good and evil such as "do not kill". Like a tree growing, unique situations arise over time stemming from this basic theme. These new situations will branch the tree, increasing the knowledge of good and evil as the law books get larger and larger. Murder is no longer a one liner, but covers thousands of pages (branches).

    Being an apple tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil will bare fruit that will taste good, which is red on the outside and white on the inside. This fruits allows a new and separate tree to grow.

    Red is connected to the emotional valence that the knowledge of good and evil seems to induce. If we debate about abortion, it leads to an emotional debate where tempers can rise. The white on the inside makes both sides feel it is doing good with their choice. The seeds within that apple, can sprout forming a new tree of knowledge of good and evil centered on this particular trunk. The legal books will then branch into a larger and larger tree of abortion, etc.
     
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  7. birch Valued Senior Member

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    huh? wasted all those words to make no real point at all. another post that completely is blind to the point. evil is understood in context. for instance, cold and heat are states, they are not evil or good in itself. evil is based on intent. for instance, if i throw you on a fire to harm you, that is evil. if i intentionally freeze you to death, that is evil. if i enslave your family for greed or murder them because i know it will cause you pain, that is evil.

    people with common sense understand what evil is and those who deny it, suddenly do when it happens to them. capeesh? good.
     
  8. John99 Banned Banned

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    I dont know...cant they just be bad\wrong? Of course certain levels of wrong are higher than others.
     
  9. wellwisher Banned Banned

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    I was talking about the symbolism of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In that tree or form of polarized knowledge is Satan. The ancients understood knowledge of good and evil was actually the best way to know Satan but not God.
     
  10. KilljoyKlown Whatever Valued Senior Member

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    Ancient history is the study of the written past from the beginning of recorded human history in the Old World to the Early Middle Ages in Europe.
    The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, with Cuneiform script, the oldest discovered form of coherent writing, from the protoliterate period around the 30th century BC. This is the beginning of history, as opposed to prehistory, according to the definition used by most historians.
    =================================================

    You use the term ancients as if they were somehow more knowledgeable and knowing than we are today. To me they are primitives that don't know shit compared to what we know today, and most of them had very little choice but to believe the way they were told to or die (sometimes by very slow torture). Humans have always practiced deception, especially those in power. So please tell me why I should believe their BS as presented by you?
     
  11. The Ape Hunter Registered Senior Member

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    17
    I described it in the very quote that you posted within your reply. I stated; "simply by virtue of perceiving & claiming such a thing, Atheists definitely prove that they have something witch is depriving them of knowledge"

    My words; "perceiving" & claiming such a "thing" were in reference to a subject within my previous sentence, which is the evidence of the Atheist's deprivation of a particular knowledge
     
  12. The Ape Hunter Registered Senior Member

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    17
    That evidence is the common Atheist perception of that Christians have a God that says its evil to possess knowledge. That, in itself, proves that Atheists have something witch is depriving them of knowledge because that is an exceedingly ridiculous interpretation of the event in which God commanded Adam & Eve to not take from the tree of knowledge of good & evil

    I then supported my assertion by having provided the knowledge of the meaning of the tree of knowledge of good & evil
     
  13. dixonmassey Valued Senior Member

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    There is no evil without good, thus good is evil and evil is good.
     
  14. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    Except that you still haven't specified what this "knowledge" is.

    Not quite true.

    Only if everyone makes the same fallacious assumptions that you appear to be doing.

    No, you made further, unsupported, claims. Not the same thing at all.
    Go back and read my post.
     
  15. GeoffP Caput gerat lupinum Valued Senior Member

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    Well, if we're using theological ideas here, then Heaven is 'all good', Eden was meant to be 'all good' (at least by tradition) until that got fucked up. The question initially seemed dualist but I suppose it isn't. It presupposes an absolute rating scale for good and evil. Once derived it isn't necessary to have an actual example of it, I guess. I guess it would be necessary to comprehend one if one were to appreciate the existence of the other.
     
  16. The Ape Hunter Registered Senior Member

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    17
    Within the lives of Adam & Eve, while in the Garden of Eden, the only "ought not" that was commanded of them was that they ought not take from the tree of the knowledge of good & evil. Thus, taking from that tree was the only way in which they could have disobeyed God. Therefor, being that the tree represented the only way in which they could do evil, its the reason why it was called "the tree of the knowledge of good & evil"

    This is all an understanding that is easy to obtain from my thorough explanation within my original post. However, those who hate their Creator, always subscribe to a ridiculous, false explanation. Then, when the correct explanation is presented, those who hate their Creator, always make it impossible for themselves to understand even simple things because they don't want to understand. This is because understanding would leave them without anymore excuses
     
  17. The Ape Hunter Registered Senior Member

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    Ok then, I can see that this is going the same direction in which it always goes with Atheists. Thus, to avoid a never ending circular motion of irreconcilable reluctance to agree with truth, I'll simply concede right here & now.

    It certainly must be true that Christians are encouraged to avoid knowledge. Not only is this proved by the brilliant argumentation from Atheists, but also by the fact that America's "Ivy League" Universities were all founded as Christian Theological Institutions... back when they still used to function correctly, serve their purpose & actually produce intelligent persons. However, things have changed greatly since the "cultural revolution" which ushered in the secular age... aka, the day of the Cretins
     
  18. GeoffP Caput gerat lupinum Valued Senior Member

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    So can you not be a believer and also an evil person?
     
  19. YoYoPapaya Trump/Norris - 2012 Registered Senior Member

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    Only 3 of the 8 Ivy League colleges have a christian background. Princeton, Harvard and Yale.
     
  20. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    Um, it was eating the fruit of the tree that gave them the knowledge.

    Except that it appears to be your understanding only. Your "explanation" was shown to be in error.

    Who, specifically, "hates the creator"?

    The way this is going?
    You make claims, fail to support them, repeat your statement, and then complain that I ask questions while making further inane claims...

    Correct. They seem to prefer to stick with belief as opposed to knowldege.
     
  21. John99 Banned Banned

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    "Is it possible to know Good with out knowing Evil?"

    Yes, it is.
     
  22. John99 Banned Banned

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    Seriously...:bugeye:

    Good- waking up in the morning and everything is ok

    Bad- waking up in the morning and realizing you pissed in your sleep

    Is this so damn hard to figure out?
     
  23. KilljoyKlown Whatever Valued Senior Member

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    6,493
    I think you must be right, after all if it isn't bad it must be good and evil doesn't have to be part of the equation at all.
     

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