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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Storm Raven" data-source="post: 3291839" data-attributes="member: 307">And other than saying "it doesn't" your argument thus far has no content.Such a system, however interesting in theory, is entirely beside the point when discussing D&D alignment. Every act is not evil. It cannot be - otherwise the game's assumptions on the subject of alignment break apart by the seams. Clearly, in the context of D&D it is possible to remain good (many NPCs, for example, are clearly labled as such). Hence, such an unworkable "everyone is evil" stance is incorrect under the rules of the game.But we are not talking about "outside the frame of the universe". we are talking about the context of actors within a system making moral decisions relating to good or evil. If, regardless of foreseeability, all acts are judged by all consequences, then we must go through all published products relating to D&D and scratch out all alignments stated as "G" (and probably "N") and replace them with "E". Clearly, this is not what is intended by the design of the game, and hence, it cannot be correct.Actually, it is very relevant. Our view of law is predicated upon our societal sense of right and wrong. We do not prosecute small children for murder because we believe that they cannot understand the consequences of their actions and believe it is wrong to punish those who cannot understand what is right and what is wrong. And so on. Law is a concrete, although clearly incomplete, expression of morality (at what point is a wrong great enough to require the intervention of the state).Which gets us to foreseeability. If intent counts (and in morality, for the most part, the most important thing that counts is intent), then the question of whether an action will foreseeably cause an evil consequence is of primary relevance. If the actor's intent is a critical issue, then the foreseeable consequences of his actions are of paramount importance when evaluating whether an act is good or evil.</blockquote>

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