Philosophy Now Forum

I mean good and bad in the widest sense.

It seems so no matter what you look at. I recall a Star Trek episode whereby Kirk and Spock looked at preventing a woman from dying from a car accident until they discovered one of her descendants would become a dictator.

PhilX

Philosophy Explorer wrote:I mean good and bad in the widest sense.

It seems so no matter what you look at. I recall a Star Trek episode whereby Kirk and Spock looked at preventing a woman from dying from a car accident until they discovered one of her descendants would become a dictator.

PhilX

If they were able to see this it must have happened and they were contemplating changing history. Who were they to make such a decision? On the other hand what good did her other descendants do in the world?

Everything that happens is going to cause other things to happen and change the way some other things happen and influence people's decisions, and maybe start a war or end one. There is no way you could sort out all the good and bad stuff from the ordinary indifferent stuff. So you might as well do whatever you think is for the best at the moment.

No

Good and bad only applies to humans as the universe is neutral. Greatness occurs when one is beyond good and bad.

Or is a failure of language that good is used to oppose both evil (intent) and bad (effect). Good/bad is effects based so it's contingent on what's desired.