that harm is not necessarily identical to evil. On the other hand, that doesn't mean that acts take place in "a continuum, where it's all shades of gray." It simply means that it's often very difficult to determine whether things are in fact black or white. It's a bit like a fractal - a fractal has a boundary line, and it can be excruciatingly difficult to determine which side of the boundary line a point is on, but obviously it's on either one side or the other. (Okay, it might be _on_ the boundary line, but you get the idea.)
Eating is an interesting example. As living beings, we were designed to metabolize, and as animals we do not have the possibility of photosynthesis. Therefore, not to eat would be to deny who and what we are as humans, which in my opinion is the basis of evil. To me, then, evil is acting in a way which denies any fundamental truth about our existence (such as our need to be in a community, and thus to treat others with utmost care and respect; or the need to understand who we are, and thus to be honest with ourselves and with others; and so on).
I hope I'm not rambling too much; I'm starving and that always distracts me from thinking clearly. |
