Is it evil to feel pleasure if the evil is suffering?

E

Emil

Valued Senior Member

I would define evil as pleased to cause suffering.
I have tried to define good and evil without taking into account the humanity.
If the humanity would not be, what would mean good and evil?
I have not managed to define good and evil in these conditions.
I think the notion of right and wrong is an exclusive feature of humanity.

There are people who to achieve their purpose, hurt others and do not care about their suffering.
Their aim is not to hurt you,to make you suffer, their goal is different, and to achieve their goal they are able to do anything.
That is bad, is wrong,is immoral , is animalistic.

The worst is when they willingly want to make you suffer.When your pain causes them pleasure, satisfaction.
Animals have no mercy and compassion,but they do not want you to suffer and they do not feel pleasure in your suffering.
Such sentiments only humans can have.
Unfortunately almost all people have in them a greater or smaller part of evil.
Who has not wanted, more or less, to get revenge?What is revenge if not pleased to cause suffering?
Revenge is a characteristic for humanity and not for animals.
So,who is evil,the animals or the humans?


 
What if the pleasure at another's suffering is due to justice being served? Such as the pleasure at seeing a murderer of your family put to death?
 
You shouldn't feel pleasure because A human being is being killed even if he is a murderer. Take the soilders coming from vietnam for example they were so messed up because they had to kill 4 year olds because they would have bombs strapped to them walking towards them, even babies too. Noone who served there found any pleasure in killing someone who killed a innocent person at all and these men killed to save people so should we?
 
I think American soldiers in Vietnam were messed up because the guilt or innocence of those they killed was not clear.
 
That also contributed but alot of it was that they were killing children too who many were only like 5 or 6 years old that they had to kill to save themselves.
 
Then those they killed were innocent, and one can take no pleasure from that without being a psychopath. I'm talking about something different, the pleasure of justice, the pleasure of another's suffering when they deserve it. It's empowering. It's the reason the show Dexter is so popular.
 
Yes I know that but, I was hitting on another fact that noone should take pleasure in any kind of suffering at all of another person.
 
I am reminded of a favorite quote from The Lord of the Rings (the book at least; I'm not sure if it was in the films). Frodo said to Gandalf regarding Gollum "It's a piy Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance." Gandalf scolded Frodo saying "It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand!" Frodo replied "Surely a creature such as Gollum deserves death" and Gandalf said "No doubt. Many that live deserve death. But many that die deserve life. Can you give it them? If not, do not be so quick to deal out death in judgement."

I agree that it is evil to wish harm on another living being, for any purpose. Justice, at its core, is to treat fairly. Is it fair to murder a murderer? Maybe, maybe not. But to take pleasure in it is a different story. It may be "justified," because that is what the murderer felt in the first place - but at that point you are simply sinking to the same level of the murderer, whom we've already identified as evil.
 
as for killing even babies or children. please remember where you are and wake up. i know someone who was in vietnam and he told me many stories and that of course there were asshole soldiers (even peers he knew) who didn't care or who did get pleasure from hurting others. situations where one can get away with something are a real test of what that person is. it really opened his eyes to what some people are and how some people are good of course too but unfortunately most weren't according to him which affected him traumatically just as much, leaving him disheartened in a way that's hard to describe because what has been covered up is right out in the open and is undeniable at that point.
 
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Probaly not but I don't know anyone who was in that war so I didn't know that thanks for correcting me and your right about the conditions.
 
SolusCado said:
I am reminded of a favorite quote from The Lord of the Rings (the book at least; I'm not sure if it was in the films). Frodo said to Gandalf regarding Gollum "It's a piy Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance." Gandalf scolded Frodo saying "It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand!" Frodo replied "Surely a creature such as Gollum deserves death" and Gandalf said "No doubt. Many that live deserve death. But many that die deserve life. Can you give it them? If not, do not be so quick to deal out death in judgement."

I agree that it is evil to wish harm on another living being, for any purpose. Justice, at its core, is to treat fairly. Is it fair to murder a murderer? Maybe, maybe not. But to take pleasure in it is a different story. It may be "justified," because that is what the murderer felt in the first place - but at that point you are simply sinking to the same level of the murderer, whom we've already identified as evil.
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That's only because Gollum was a clever plot point. I'm against the death penalty, but only because our method of determining guilt is flawed. If I cought someone who raped my mother for instance, I would find it very fufilling to make them suffer. You can say we shouldn't, but that is likely a religiously inspired judgement. To want evil people to suffer comes from the same source as the search for justice.
 
What is revenge? What instincts are involved? What is the logic?
From an evolutionary point of view, what's the point?

 
The evolutionary point is the elimination of a potential threat, a component of primate society that impedes the harmony of the whole.
 
spidergoat said:
That's only because Gollum was a clever plot point.
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smeagal was also pitiful. anyone could see that unless they were cold-hearted. smeagal is not what would fit the definition of evil but a victim from the ring and also cold treatment from others. but vicious and evil? no
 
spidergoat said:
The evolutionary point is the elimination of a potential threat, a component of primate society that impedes the harmony of the whole.
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So you think , those who believe in revenge, which is an extension of hatred (revenge implies hatred), will win
and those who do not think alike are endangered?
 
Just to clarify things. A reputabale court of law does not sentence a murderer to be murdered, it sentence him to death. The killing that eventually takes place is called execution. Murder and execution are poles apart as far as killing is concerned. I'll answer the prolife and animal lovers vis a vis killing in due course. Be blessed.
 
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