<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I was going to post something like the above question about what evil really is. It's really easy as a kid to grow up and beyond the boogie man definition of evil. So you've got horns and breathe fire, eat babies and get orgasms out of driving entire populations murderously crazy by haunting their dreams... No big deal. You're just made that way; that's not really evil, it's pretty hedonistic. I think one of the best measures of Evil is the Good it spurns. The recognition of and empathy with Good and the perversion of it. </DIV></p><p>I think that's a good start at defining "true" Evil. Knowing the difference and choosing to pervert the good rather than just shun it is pretty darn evil. Lord Foul from the "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" series is a good example. Foul not only chooses "Evil" but chooses to go about obtaining his goals by perverting whatever good he can and causing the most personal anguish and destruction possible. He's not content with "winning." Oh no, that's not good enough. He wants to cause as much pain, perversion and moral outrage as he can along the way. Why? Because, they're the antithesis of him and he wants them to be his tools. He wants "hope" to be the ultimate tool of "despair." He's a pretty sick youknowwhat...</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Without the perspective of the victim, anything alien enough can be more evil.. AI's inexistent morality could be the most evil thing of all. Etc. Posted by nimbus</DIV></p><p>Ah, but then we get into the dilemma of having to only rely on our own definition of "Good" in order to define its antithesis. An AI that has no concept of Good or Evil, can that really be Evil? Was the Terminator "Evil?" Was Skynet evil? The AI "Mechanicals" in Benford's "Galactic Center" novels.. were they evil? If you haven't read it, their ultimate goal was to achieve "immortality" even after the Universe ceased to exist as we know it. They believed humans to be little more than animals and by their standards of technology and knowledge, they were almost right.</p><p>But, are such things "Evil" if they have no knowledge or acceptance of an antithesis of Evil? Think of some evil characters in fiction and post one as an example. Maybe we can figure out the answer to that question. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>