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From: mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Why is there evil?
Message-ID: <243@cybvax0.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 27-Nov-84 10:40:24 EST
Article-I.D.: cybvax0.243
Posted: Tue Nov 27 10:40:24 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 29-Nov-84 06:10:41 EST
References: <128@ihdev.UUCP> <1096@trwrba.UUCP> <1001@umcp-cs.UUCP> <352@gitpyr.UUCP> <278@pyuxd.UUCP>
Reply-To: mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz)
Organization: Cybermation, Inc., Cambridge, MA
Lines: 14
Summary: 

Rich Rosen and I agree that evil is rooted in subjective impressions of
things that make our relative fitness lower than it could be.  Theologians
may make up abstract categories and "reasons" (such as Satan) for evil,
but if you observe ideas of evil that are not theologically inspired, there
is an inverse corellation to whatever we could do to improve our fitness.

Recently I read "Journey To The West" (the excellent and lengthy translation
by Anthony Yu).  I recommend it for non-christian ideas of good and evil,
as well as a ripping good folk mythology.  It took me a while to get over the
culture shock, but in combination with other folk tales and anthropological
studies, it has confirmed cultural relativism for me once again.
-- 

Mike Huybensz		...decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!cybvax0!mrh