No Good or Bad, or Bad Thinking?
Confused and deceitful people are working to convince others that there is no such thing as good or bad. The truth is, we defined good and bad when we defined our nation.
The Natural World
Man, in his natural state, is at liberty to do whatever it takes to survive and/or achieve significance. He lives in the natural world where there are no countries or boarders. There is no right and there is no wrong. There is no good. There is no bad.
The Civilized World
Once men gather together to form commonwealths/nations/countries, they traded off some of their liberties for peace. That is, they develop laws, standards of conduct, and etiquette to regulate the behavior of their citizens…to prevent them from hurting one another. Those that adhere to the laws, standards, and etiquette are considered good; those that do not do so are considered bad. The country, therefore, defines what is good and it defines what is bad.
Once defined, it becomes the job of each parent to civilize/train their child in the ways/rules of acceptable behavior for their country; the institutions of the country (e.g., schools, religious institutions, etc.) reinforce those standards.
Nations in The Natural World
Although the liberties of men are diminished when they become part of a commonwealth, the commonwealth, on the other hand, retains its liberties. Each country is still operating under natural law. Barring any agreements between nations, they are at liberty to do whatever it takes to survive and/or achieve significance.
Beware
- Beware of people who judge nations using the rules/laws internal to their own nation. If a nation builds a relationship with another nation, it’s within that country’s right to do so. If a nation goes to war with another nation, it is within that nations right to do so. The nation is not good, bad, right, or wrong. Nations only exhibit wanted and unwanted behaviors in the eyes of the observer.
- Beware of those who say that there is no good or bad. Good and Bad have already been defined. If someone wants their liberties restored, they have to convince others to restore them. Otherwise, they must move to a country that allows more liberty.
What do you think?
References
Hobbes, T. (2008). Leviathan (J. C. A. Gaskin, Ed.). Oxford University Press.
Nietzsche, F. (1998). Beyond good and evil. Dover Publications.
