Define "Evil"...

you cant its impossible

terms like evil are entirely subjective

one man's evil is another man's holy work

I think steve is right, but my personal evil is

Deliberately hurting others or accepting that others might be hurt by one's actions while there is another way...

In one of his books, Dr. M Scott Peck defined evil as "...live spelled backwords."

So I would define evil as being in opposition of life and living. That includes abusers, manipulators, liars, etc., not just murderers.

You're right, but I suspect RR would like you to give us your personal, subjective definition of evil.

My personal definition of evil would be similar to Bohne's. Though evil is a subjective term, I suspect it's not as subject as you made it out to be in your post, as the majority of people's definition of evil will have some common ground.

Re: Define "Evil"...


Here's my definition:

"A feeling of discomfort towards an entity that can cause physical or mental harm."

Since feelings are subjective and also depend on one's point of view (country, ideology, religion, personal traits, etc.), "Evil" is subjective as well. Looking at Evil as something universal or objective would therefore be wrong.

. . . that which is in opposition to God's will and purpose. . .

Defining evil in those terms means you must first define "God", then go on to define what His "will and purpose" is before you finally say evil is the opposite.

Evil is anything that opposes life or causes suffering

what form of life?

You are absolutely right!

That being said, I refer you to:
http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1707217#1707217

In our case, HUMAN life.

Along the lines of this thread:

Is adultery evil?

If we define evil as the deliberate infliction of harm or suffering on another animate being then the question about adultery involves (a) was it deliberate ?(b) did it cause harm or suffering ?

How about, "against the morality of a society or culture."

Infrable,

That begs the question of the definition of "morality of a culture".

Accept as allegory or debate as to fact:

The understanding of what is good and what is bad; what is right and what is wrong; what is good and what is evil; is the subject of the challenge made by Satan in the Garden of Eden.

Whether our first human parents were flawed in their creation has been the subject of much debate; but if you believe the Bible's depiction of God and his works as perfect, then it is reasonable to conclude that Adam and Eve had basic moral principles created within them as instinct or conscience. The only choice they had was whether or not they would continue to submit to God's authority and accept the direction of their moral compass. (The tree)

Satan offered them the opportunity to decide for themselves what was good and what was bad. In other words, they could now override the dictates of their individual and collective conscience. Bereft of God's perfect inner direction, man has been left to define evil in humanistic terms. Our current state of moral cacophony has been the result.

This is why we are unable to satisfactorily define evil. It is neither within our purview, nor is it our right. (Compare Jeremiah 10:23)

neologist,

Given that all defintions themselves depend on words there is inevitably a potential infinite regress for any concept. To single out "evil" on "biblical grounds" is trivial.

My ex-wife is the very definition of evil. You should ask her directly.

Given that because there is inevitably a potential infinite regress for any concept due to the fact that all definitions themselves depend on words, any posit will naturally result in a potentially infinite regress, especially definitions for these kinds of abstract concepts, all that I can offer is an approximation of a definitive explanation.

'Morality of a culture" means that which a culture deems 'right behavior.'