DEFINING GOOD AND EVIL

Anything we consider "evil" is perfectly acceptable in nature if we subtract man from the equation. Therefore, anything evil is natural outside conscious understanding of consequence. An understanding of consequence creates moral choices. Since we can understand that certain actions have detrimental consequences to other third parties, we can classify "good" (having a positive effect on individuals) and "evil" (actions which would otherwise be natural in nature but which cause harm or detrimental consequences to some third partie or parties). All "evil" is therefore central to self-interested motivations. Consequently, the two principle factors of "evil" are (1) natural genetic programs which act toward self-interest and (2) which are harmful or detrimental to some third entity. These "evil" actions need not be conscious choices since they can stem either from rational thought or pure programming.

Simple self-interested actions which have no detrimental actual or potential consequence to some third party are not evil.

Levels of evil arise in both the amount of harm inflicted and the level of necessity or need on the part of the acting party. As an example, the small act of detonating a nuclear weapon creates tremendous harm. What can compound this act is the fact that the actor had no actual justifiable (rational) reason for making this choice. It is the difference between stealing one loaf of bread to survive and stealing 1000 loaves of bread without a need to do so. Hoarding wealth for the sake of excess or gluttony for the sake of satisfaction is therefore inherently evil.