The Interdependence of Good and Evil: A Philosophical Exploration Essay

Introduction

The philosophical question of whether evil can exist without good is a complex one, heavily explored in MacKinnon’s textbook (Fiala & MacKinnon, 2023). After reading “The Problem of Evil and Free Will,” my position is that evil cannot exist without good.

The Duality of Good and Evil

This assertion is hinged on the premise that evil is a privation or corruption of good, a concept deeply rooted in the philosophy of Saint Augustine. In his view, evil is not a substance but a distortion of the naturally good state of things. Hence, evil is parasitic on sound in the sense that it cannot exist in a vacuum but rather as a perversion of something originally good.

Moreover, our understanding of evil is mainly dependent on the existence of good. The concept of evil is comparative, meaning we comprehend it through its contrast to what is good. We identify actions as evil because they deviate from the standard of goodness that we uphold. Hence, evil, in this context, is a deviation or a shortfall from the good.

The relationship between evil and sound can also be seen from the perspective of free will. According to MacKinnon, free will, an intrinsically good concept, may result in evil when misused. This implies that the capacity for evil is an unfortunate but necessary consequence of the capacity for good. It suggests that good and evil are interconnected, with the potential for one residing in the presence of the other.

On the other hand, this relationship between good and evil raises a significant paradox. If evil is a privation of good, the existence of evil, a hostile entity, implies a deficiency or absence of sound. Yet, if evil cannot exist without sound, it contradicts the idea that evil signifies the lack of good. However, this paradox doesn’t undermine the premise that evil cannot exist without good. Instead, it merely reveals the complex and intricate relationship between these two concepts.

Conclusion

In conclusion, evil cannot exist in isolation but relies on the existence of good either as a corruption, a comparison, or an unfortunate consequence of the misuse of free will.

Reference

Fiala, A., & MacKinnon, B. (2023). Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues. Mindtap Course List.