quote:

Originally posted by George Smiley Cheers!

LOL

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"The Greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." -Stephen Hawking
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak out for me." -Martin Niemöller

quote:

Originally posted by venomX The reason why toddlers misbehave is a completely different one. Can you say a lion is inherently evil because it kills to eat? You can't because the lion is not a moral agent, hence it can not be good/evil. Children in general, until a certain age, have not yet fully developed morality. You can't say they are inherently evil because they have yet to grasp the concept of right and wrong. People are not inherently evil or good. We are the children of circumstance. Being good or being evil will depend on many factors, the least of which is internal predispositions. If the pope gets pissed he could get into a fight. If the most ruthless of dictators is in a good mood he may be infinitely generous.

Yup, agreed. I think it all depends on how one chooses to exert his/her will.

___________________
"The Greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." -Stephen Hawking
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak out for me." -Martin Niemöller

quote:

Originally posted by venomX The reason why toddlers misbehave is a completely different one. Can you say a lion is inherently evil because it kills to eat? You can't because the lion is not a moral agent, hence it can not be good/evil. Children in general, until a certain age, have not yet fully developed morality. You can't say they are inherently evil because they have yet to grasp the concept of right and wrong. People are not inherently evil or good. We are the children of circumstance. Being good or being evil will depend on many factors, the least of which is internal predispositions. If the pope gets pissed he could get into a fight. If the most ruthless of dictators is in a good mood he may be infinitely generous.

So good people don't lie, cheat, and steal? You must be living a dream land. Circumstances mean nothing. Everyone has done something to screw up even as adults.

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quote:

Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN well here's a thought, how bout you stop kidnapping journalists? http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast...reut/index.html nice to see hamas might have finally concluded that too.

Not that it's a good thing, but at least it's not like unofficial IDF protocol:

Were up just promoted from NeoCon propagandist to Zionist?

___________________
"The Greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." -Stephen Hawking
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak out for me." -Martin Niemöller

quote:

Originally posted by George Smiley Yea I know, I was questioning pkcRAISTLIN's assertion that it was actually Hamas...

wait a minute mate. i made no such assertion. i just said that hamas might have concluded that (anyone) kidnapping foreign journalists might not be the best idea.

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quote:

Originally posted by venomX Can you say a lion is inherently evil

Yes. Look closely at the following image:



As you can see, the lion to the left of the frame is inherently "evil", but the lion on the right hand side can quite obviously been seen to be inherently "good".

I rest my case.

quote:

Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN wait a minute mate. i made no such assertion. i just said that hamas might have concluded that (anyone) kidnapping foreign journalists might not be the best idea.

Well that's how it came across. Anyway, it's just a shame Israel hasn't concluded that kidnapping is wrong hey?

quote:

Originally posted by George Smiley Yes. Look closely at the following image: As you can see, the lion to the left of the frame is inherently "evil", but the lion on the right hand side can quite obviously been seen to be inherently "good". I rest my case.

Indeed. The lion on the left, with his darker skin and black mane, looks Middle Eastern, and thus represents evil, as opposed to the one on the right, with his pale skin and blondish mane, typical features of the White Man, represents all that is good in the world

quote:

Originally posted by Epicurus Indeed. The lion on the left, with his darker skin and black mane, looks Middle Eastern, and thus represents evil, as opposed to the one on the right, with his pale skin and blondish mane, typical features of the White Man, represents all that is good in the world

Exactly!

quote:

Originally posted by Epicurus Indeed. The lion on the left, with his darker skin and black mane, looks Middle Eastern, and thus represents evil, as opposed to the one on the right, with his pale skin and blondish mane, typical features of the White Man, represents all that is good in the world

no, the lion on the right is good because he's luke skywalker!

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quote:

Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN no, the lion on the right is good because he's luke skywalker!

Simba, I am your father!

quote:

Originally posted by George Smiley Yes. Look closely at the following image: As you can see, the lion to the left of the frame is inherently "evil", but the lion on the right hand side can quite obviously been seen to be inherently "good". I rest my case.

LOL!

I knew it!

___________________
"...End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path...one that we all must take.
The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass...and then you see it...
...white shores...and beyond...the far green country under a swift sunrise."