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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Felix" data-source="post: 3290410" data-attributes="member: 3929">I cared when the Yanks beat the Braves in the World Series in 96. Doesn't mean that their beating them was Evil.I mean, if any baseball team was Evil it would be the Yanks, but simply because I cared, or anyone on the Braves cared, does not mean that the act of winning was Evil.The woodsman's act was: cut down tree.The woodsman's act was not: kill child.Though he may have caused the death of the child (for which the child is also party lresponsible for having been underneath a falling tree), he did not act to do so. He merely acted to cut the tree down.If you judge the morality of an act based on consequences, then you must judge them based on all consequences. And because it is absolutely impossible to have knowledge of every consequence of an action, the morality of an act becomes beholden to he who judges the act, because they can select which of the action's consequences to use to condemn or exonerate the actor.The only thing that can be known is the act itself, and the reasons for the act. This makes intent absolutely central in determining the morality of an act.HOWEVERThis does not mean that good intentions cannot lead to Evil actions; they can. It just happens that unintentionally and unwittingly causing the death of another does not constitute an evil act in the lumberjack and child case.If a child dies, no matter the circumstances or intentions, is the act that caused it evil?If anyone, child or adult, dies, no matter the circumstances or intentions, is the act that caused it evil?If anyone, child or adult, gets seriously injured, no matter the circumstances or intentions, is the act that caused it evil?If anyone, child or adult, is mildly inconvienienced, no matter the circumstances or intentions, is the act that caused it evil?If anyone, child or adult, does not benefit, no matter the circumstances or intentions, is the act that caused it evil?---At what point do my actions that have affect others begin to be evil acts because of the consequences? When do you stop tallying the consequences? Immediately after the act? 5 minutes after the act? A year? When trumpets sound? You can't judge morality on consequences because you can't know the consequences. An act is good or not, evil or not, regardless of the consequences. It is the act itself and the intention behind the act which determines the morality.</blockquote>

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