Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Mon Sep 10, 2018 2:51 am
This progress can be measured by various means, e.g. less cases of genocides, rapes, murder, etc. as reported by reputable organizations.
This won't work either.
None of these actions that you list are more that culturally-locally decried, and are not universals. Genocide (for example, passionate antisemitism), rapes (such as so-called "judicial" or "revenge" rapes) and the murder (of infidels and converts to other religions) are all practiced as positive righteous duties in some factions of Islam, for example. These acts are not just seen as "good" but as particularly meritorious by them.
Meanwhile, "reputable organizations" are only "reputable" to local prejudices...there is no universal "reputability," and if there were, it would not indicate goodness...only popularity of a particular value or idea at a contingent place and time.
What you're doing is imposing your own definition of "progress" on the problem, and then assuming that all right-thinking people must agree with it. There's no justification in that confidence, but also no grounding that privileges your particular view of "progress" over that of the Islamists, unless there's something universal behind your version.
But what would that universal authorization be?
There is notning wrong in referring to the main set of theism as long at we understand the the position of the subsets.
But there's everything wrong with conflating evil persons with those who are not evil. That's like damning all women because some particular ones may have been found to be vain, foolish, promiscuous or devious. You wouldn't put up with that kind of prejudice for one second, would you?
So why would you do it to Theists?
Meanwhile, from a Non-Theistic perspective, you simply cannot even know what "evil" is. Non-Theism has no equipment to help you with that task. All you can safely say is, "What is, is." There IS no "evil," in that worldview. Only things some people happen to like, and other things that other people happen not to.
Do you understand how the principles of etymology and meaning of words work?[/quote]
Absolutely. I love linguistics.
But etymology will not solve conceptual problems. It will only tell us what people may have tried to mean by assembling words in particular ways: it won't tell us whether their assembling was accurate or justified by fact.
Why should I be confined to your meaning of the term 'evil'.
You're not. But the problem is not with me: I have a definition of "evil." The problem is for Non-Theists, and you in particular: because you claim to have a definition of "evil," but cannot say what makes a particular thing "good" or "evil" in a universal way.
Btw, what is your definition of 'evil'?
Disharmonious with the character, nature and will of God.
You raised this question many times,
Yes: but never having received a plausible answer from you. So I will raise it again.
hope you do not bring in this doubt again.
I will, of course. It's fundamental to our discussion.