Redefining Good & Evil

[davem]

As many of you probably know David Eddings, fantasy writer of epics such as the Belgariad & the Mallorean, died yesterday. I read the Belgariad many years back & enjoyed it but haven't been back to any of his other work. However, googling Eddings today I found this essay which struck me as worth a read - if not a discussion. Its about Eddings' take on good & evil

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...g4.html?cat=38

a few bits

In short, what Eddings describes is a conception of good and evil where there is no "balance", but the lack thereof. Instead of the world being in perfect continuous harmony, where evil is a necessity, in order to validate the existence of good, he paints a portrait where good and evil are really nothing more than alternate natures that cannot both be true. They are each the "soul" of the universe, and this reality isn't big enough for the both of them.

The main advantage of the forces of good is that they are able to work together. Where evil uses minions and henchmen, good draws on the full advantage of its resources in presenting a united, cooperative community. The main characters all care for each other, and protect each other, even as fate drives them towards a very uncertain end.

The "bad guys", which is an ironic notion for anyone who has actually read The Malloreon, tend to be a 'me first' kind of crowd. Selfish, arrogant, and prideful

Evil is a philosophy of selfishness, an embracing of the core "virtues" of death - that an unchanging state is to be sought and held at all costs. To maintain the status quo, to hold to 'perfection', is the utmost charge.

But, there is a logical flaw at the heart of evil's purview: though it is natural for we humans to seek stability in our chaotic world, it is an irrational desire. The world changes, and events continue on their course, whatever we might wish. The only certain escape is death, which makes the cure a good sight worse than the problem.

Good, on the other hand, embodies all the attributes of life: changing, growing, adapting, and spreading the ever-shifting chaos on to others. The philosophy of good means caring for others, and doing right by them - which means sacrificing of one's self. Be it a gift of time, money, or just love, a person must transfer something from himself to another in any act of compassion. This is anathema to evil's ways, as any person so doing not only violates the status quo, but actually makes himself lesser, a step back from perfection.

What those souls of evil nature don't understand, though, is that because good stands together, as a community, that giving of one's self to help another strengthens the whole. When a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, transferring strength from the strongest to the weakest is just basic sense; if the metaphorical chain breaks, all that extra strength won't do the powerful link any good.