Who is a bad person? What makes someone bad?

[wbradley]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

Pensioners, drug users,the Left, the Right, Muslims, democracy.

Do you see any commonality in that list?
They are terms that are used by the media and people to describe groups that have no individuals.That is, everyone in that group is the same.There is no discussion as to the varied nature of people in those groups. You say "Western Culture" as if that is a homogenous object as well. You use the term and every one understands what you mean but I bet you would be hard pressed to find a uniform agreement on what it is.

Hmm...lets get out our microscope...

[wbradley]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

Who is a bad person? What makes someone bad?

So a person is either good or bad? If a child cuts down mum's flower that is a bad action but does that make the child a bad person? Hitler is mostly regarded as a bad person yet he did some grand good things as well. Does this make him a less bad person? That is, if one does good deeds does that cancel out the bad deeds that person does?

So you want to remember Hitler for the grand good things he did? You mean like militarizing Germany to stimulate the economy? Initiate the beginning of a central highway system for military and associated industrial complex?

Sorry buddy, I am Jewish and thank goodness my dad's family left Poland before the war. Sadly a lot of his relatives weren't so fortunate. But, if it gets you attention on the internet to point out the "good" Hitler did you go right ahead. Anyone who was responsible to the largest genocidal action in history should not be remembered as having done ANY good in my book.

A person who commits atrocities will be associated for those, not stimulating an economy.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by wbradley

So you want to remember Hitler for the grand good things he did? You mean like militarizing Germany to stimulate the economy? Initiate the beginning of a central highway system for military and associated industrial complex?

Sorry buddy, I am Jewish and thank goodness my dad's family left Poland before the war. Sadly a lot of his relatives weren't so fortunate. But, if it gets you attention on the internet to point out the "good" Hitler did you go right ahead. Anyone who was responsible to the largest genocidal action in history should not be remembered as having done ANY good in my book.

A person who commits atrocities will be associated for those, not stimulating an economy.

Sorry! I may have picked the worst possible example I could!!!!
At no point did I feel he did any good at all. I was trying to illustrate how many (millions) did not see him as bad.
It was meant entirely as an exercise in perception based upon local culture and standards at a given point in time not support any of the actual events!.

[dem00n]

Bad people drive fast cars and listen to death metal.

I'm the epitome of bad.

[53Driver]

A father who cuts off his son's hand.

[Ammonia]

I've killed at least two people

But I'm respected and admired (usually) in this country.

If I go elsewhere I'd be a nationalist pig and be looked at as a murdering warmonging monster.


Again, alot of perspective.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Ammonia

I've killed at least two people

But I'm respected and admired (usually) in this country.

If I go elsewhere I'd be a nationalist pig and be looked at as a murdering warmonging monster.


Again, alot of perspective.

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not as an example of bad but as an example of perspective.
Ammonia gets where I am coming from.

[gramicci101]

I'm a bad person, because if you don't have some sort of positive impact or influence on my life, I really couldn't care if you live or die. That's your problem, not mine.

[stugray]

Originally Posted by wbradley

So you want to remember Hitler for the grand good things he did? You mean like militarizing Germany to stimulate the economy? Initiate the beginning of a central highway system for military and associated industrial complex?

Sorry buddy, I am Jewish and thank goodness my dad's family left Poland before the war. Sadly a lot of his relatives weren't so fortunate. But, if it gets you attention on the internet to point out the "good" Hitler did you go right ahead. Anyone who was responsible to the largest genocidal action in history should not be remembered as having done ANY good in my book.

A person who commits atrocities will be associated for those, not stimulating an economy.

Are you still a bad person if you do horrbile things but you BELIEVE that what you are doing is the right thing?

What if someone (like myself) believed that the world would be a much better place if 2/3 of all humans on the planet just died overnight painlessly.
Now if that person had a magic button that could actually kill 2/3 of the worlds population and they used it because they thought it was in the best interest of future generations - Are they still a bad person IF it turns out they just avoided a world war that would have killed 2/3 of the worlds population in combat?

What Hitler did is seen as horrible today.
Hitler THOUGHT he was doing the right thing for mankind by making way for his master race.
If he truly BELIEVED he was doing the right thing was he still bad?

Some of those definitions above would say NO.

Do we declare a mentally ill person "bad" if they kill someone due to a diagnosable illness? - No because their illness led them to believe they were doing the right thing.

Is someone "Bad" if they spend their whole life breaking a law that they feel is un-just?
How about if they spend thier whole life breaking that law and in their 40s the law is overturned because it IS determined to be un-just?

NOW were they still a bad person for all those years?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by stugray

Are you still a bad person if you do horrbile things but you BELIEVE that what you are doing is the right thing?

What if someone (like myself) believed that the world would be a much better place if 2/3 of all humans on the planet just died overnight painlessly.
Now if that person had a magic button that could actually kill 2/3 of the worlds population and they used it because they thought it was in the best interest of future generations - Are they still a bad person IF it turns out they just avoided a world war that would have killed 2/3 of the worlds population in combat?

What Hitler did is seen as horrible today.
Hitler THOUGHT he was doing the right thing for mankind by making way for his master race.
If he truly BELIEVED he was doing the right thing was he still bad?

Some of those definitions above would say NO.

Do we declare a mentally ill person "bad" if they kill someone due to a diagnosable illness? - No because their illness led them to believe they were doing the right thing.

Is someone "Bad" if they spend their whole life breaking a law that they feel is un-just?
How about if they spend thier whole life breaking that law and in their 40s the law is overturned because it IS determined to be un-just?

NOW were they still a bad person for all those years?

Stu gets it too!

[cdrazic93]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

Where to? Would he bring it back? Would he trade it in on a Reverie Rally steering wheel with rev lights at the top?

Yes, because jesus is a car guy

[gramicci101]

So in other words, it's all subjective based on the intentions of person doing it and the morals of the person observing it. What I think is fine you might think is bad, so who decides if I am a bad person?

[Tcoat]

And Gram gets it!
Staring to think I wasn't as unclear as it appeared!
Wonder if people on the Philosophical forums debate sports cars???

[calmtigers]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I tried I guess I just sucked at it though!

Did really read much of the thread haha