Does evil exist?

[creekster]

Originally Posted by Archaea

With regard to the nature of evil, it should be observed that evil is of three kinds -- physical, moral, and metaphysical. Physical evil includes all that causes harm to man, whether by bodily injury, by thwarting his natural desires, or by preventing the full development of his powers, either in the order of nature directly, or through the various social conditions under which mankind naturally exists. Physical evils directly due to nature are sickness, accident, death, etc. Poverty, oppression, and some forms of disease are instances of evil arising from imperfect social organization. Mental suffering, such as anxiety, disappointment, and remorse, and the limitation of intelligence which prevents humans beings from attaining to the full comprehension of their environment, are congenital forms of evil each vary in character and degree according to natural disposition and social circumstances.

I find this defintion to be not particualry useful, to be honest. Anythign that thwarts man's natural desires is evil? So self-control is evil? I guess this requires another definiton to know what "natural desires" means.

JL; Are you trying to ask about evil in terms of willful conduct by man, or are you talking about somethign broader? If the former, I think one could say that evil is a willful act inconsistent with god's will, which means many neglgient acts might be evil. This would also not speak to degrees of evil, of course.