FACULTY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY & RELIGIOUS STUDIES
To : Mr. F. Kudzula
From : Ngumbi Jackson D.
Registration number : BAE/2B/142/10
Course title : Ethics & Moral Studies
Course code : ETR: 2401
Assignment number : One
Task : Why do people find it easier to do evil than good? Due date: 06th August, 2012.
In human life there are two things that may identify the human beings. Some of these things are whether the human beings do evil or good. In this case some people may find it easier to do evil than good. Before looking at the reason s why people find it easy to do evil than good it is important to define first these two terms. The term good may be defined in different ways by different scholars. One of the notable philosophers, Aristotle, in Joe Jerkings’s Ethics & Religion defined good as, something that fulfils its own particular function. Sometimes good things may be defined as things that are regarded to be positive to someone or the society. Scholars have described good as things which are associated with life, love prosperity, charity, happiness, and justice which are supposed to be done. Another British philosopher, G. E. Moore in Joe Jerkings’s book argues that “the notion of moral goodness cannot be defined or identified with any property”. In his argument he says that, goodness is a foundational and analysable property similar to the foundational of yellowness. This means that, Philosophers who attempt to define intrinsic goodness is a naturalistic fallacy. On the other hand, Evil is typically associated with conscious and deliberate wrong doing, discrimination designed to harm others, humiliation of people designed to diminish to harm their psychological needs dignity, destructiveness and an act of unnecessary and or discriminate violence that are not legitimate acts of self-defense aggressive and designed to cause ill-being to others. The issue of evil and god
Bibliography: Davies, B., (2004), An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. (New York: Oxford University Press). Frank, T., (1900), Introduction to Ethics. (New York: Scribner). Grudem, W., (2003), Systematic Theology. (Michigan: Inter-versity Press). Jenkings, J., (2003), Ethics & Religion 2nd edition. (Blantyre: Heinemann). Lee, A. B., (1980) Encyclopedia Americana (vol. 10). Norman, R., (1998), The Moral Philosophy. (New York: Oxford University Press). Oliver, J.A., (1999), Ethics. (Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace). Schweiker, W., (1995), Responsibility and Christian Ethics http//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Good and evil& oldid=502504212. (Retrieved on 16th July, 2012 at 17:36 pm). [ 3 ]. Lee, A. B., (1980) Encyclopedia Americana (vol. 10), p. 10. [ 6 ]. Richard Norman, (1998), The Moral Philosophy, p.71. [ 7 ]. Thilly Frank, (1900), Introduction to Ethics, p.125. [ 8 ]. Wayne Grudem, (2003), Systematic Religion, p.327. [ 9 ]. Richard Norman, (1998), The Moral Philosophy, p.28 [ 10 ]