The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Lord of the Rings and Philosophy @ Concordia University Wisconsin

Dûrbelethwen · 02-12-2007, 06:05 PM

1. What is meant by "good" and "evil"?
No question is more important in philosophy, philosophy means love of wisdom, wisdom enables one to live well, this implies a doctrine of goodness to pursue, and a doctrine of evil to eschew, before (what should we do), we need metaphysics:
1) What are good and evil? Do both exist, only one, or neither?
2) If both exist, are good and evil equal in being, power and importance?
3) Tolkien's view: Evil is real and absolutely different from good. But evil is less than, because dependent on good.
If evil is successful in destroying something good, then like a parasite, it either destroys itself or survives only by finding a new host.
Evil cannot survive by itself, and in its quest for power is really a slave to those it depends on. (Everything that is evil is a corruption of what was good. ex. Orcs, trolls) (the Ring the most evil thing has no power when no one claims it, those who had it were originally good.)
Theologically God is good and the ground of all being, therefore everything God creates is good in itself. So evil can only be a perversion of good, never a substance in its own right
Yet evil can infect everything. Virtually everything in Middle-earth is infected, maybe not Bombadil. Even Gandalf is to the extent that he cannot bear the ring. As good as Gandalf is, he cannot withstand the ring's corrupting influence.
4) Evil is very powerful:
Despite its ontological dependence on good, evil is VERY powerful. By themselves, no-one in Middle-earth, not even Gandalf can defeat it. (Those who chase after power invariably fall down, while the humble are the ones who succeed.) (The evil causes disception like Bormir who thought he could use the ring.)
Like modern packaging... The power of the ring cannot be undone by human effort (Providence occurs though evil happens as on the occasion of Boromir's death.)
What is the power of the ring?
1) The ring enhances power of the wielder: more scope for evil
2) The ring grants "invisibility: deception is necessary for evil to prevail
3) The ring destroys community: (When the person is invisible then the person is out of the society of those around him.) (The discord that Melkor put into the song of the creation) It denies our social, inter-related nature, and affirms our radical autonomy.

02-12-2007, 06:05 PM	#18
Dûrbelethwen Haunting Spirit Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 80	Good and Evil 1. What is meant by "good" and "evil"? No question is more important in philosophy, philosophy means love of wisdom, wisdom enables one to live well, this implies a doctrine of goodness to pursue, and a doctrine of evil to eschew, before (what should we do), we need metaphysics: 1) What are good and evil? Do both exist, only one, or neither? 2) If both exist, are good and evil equal in being, power and importance? 3) Tolkien's view: Evil is real and absolutely different from good. But evil is less than, because dependent on good. If evil is successful in destroying something good, then like a parasite, it either destroys itself or survives only by finding a new host. Evil cannot survive by itself, and in its quest for power is really a slave to those it depends on. (Everything that is evil is a corruption of what was good. ex. Orcs, trolls) (the Ring the most evil thing has no power when no one claims it, those who had it were originally good.) Theologically God is good and the ground of all being, therefore everything God creates is good in itself. So evil can only be a perversion of good, never a substance in its own right Yet evil can infect everything. Virtually everything in Middle-earth is infected, maybe not Bombadil. Even Gandalf is to the extent that he cannot bear the ring. As good as Gandalf is, he cannot withstand the ring's corrupting influence. 4) Evil is very powerful: Despite its ontological dependence on good, evil is VERY powerful. By themselves, no-one in Middle-earth, not even Gandalf can defeat it. (Those who chase after power invariably fall down, while the humble are the ones who succeed.) (The evil causes disception like Bormir who thought he could use the ring.) Like modern packaging... The power of the ring cannot be undone by human effort (Providence occurs though evil happens as on the occasion of Boromir's death.) What is the power of the ring? 1) The ring enhances power of the wielder: more scope for evil 2) The ring grants "invisibility: deception is necessary for evil to prevail 3) The ring destroys community: (When the person is invisible then the person is out of the society of those around him.) (The discord that Melkor put into the song of the creation) It denies our social, inter-related nature, and affirms our radical autonomy.