good and evil, what is greater?

[Nightfall]

The question/poll is rather vague. What do you mean by "greater?" I'm taking it to mean which is more prevalent, which is more common. However, before tossing out my answer and vote on the poll, I'd like to know if that is what you were getting at, or something else. Which is more powerful...? Preferable...? Something else...?

I know what you are trick. Pure chaos.

 

[johnsemlak]

Wow, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that Spaceballs quote yet (you know the one I'm talking about).

Actually, I must confess I need to be reminded.

 

[Nightfall]

Actually, I must confess I need to be reminded.

Evil will always win because Good is stupid. Or something like that.

 

[Ranger REG]

Evil is good. (I know, an oxymoron.)

There is something about not caring for other beings except yourself, to hold dominion over other beings, and laugh other people's misery and pain, which is even more exciting if you deliberately inflict them.

And that's all I'm going to say, before somebody start profiling me. Hehehe.

 

[Tonguez]

1 All people act in self interest to derive personal 'benefit'
2 humans are social animals and thus self interest depends on social relationships
3 good acts are more conducive to functional social relationships

and thus good is of greater benefit than evil

 

[Zelda Themelin]

I prefer neutrality. At least that is what I feel more comfortable when I play D&D. With good or evil, there is always 'you should be like this'-arguments.
Those bore me to death.

I don't don't believe in absolutes, but in fantasy one sometimes needs them to feel different from greyness of reality. In fantasy one can decide which is greater; evil, good or none. In my games and life, greater force tends to be chaos. I often wish it weren't.

 

[diaglo]

Anyone out there prefer to be stupid?

i prefer to be happy.

ignorance is bliss.

 

[s/LaSH]

Good will spend ten years painstakingly building a farm, getting merchants to buy its stock, eking out a living from the land. Evil will pick up a rock, brain Good, and take its stuff. Then, of course, Good's half-dozen big burly neighbours of the MacGood clan will come along and beat Evil to death, leaving Good the ultimate victor.

If the Evils lurking in the wilderness get together for mutual aid (reasoning that the MacGood clan can beat even the strongest lone Evil by ganging up on it), they're abandoning their evil and becoming another faction of Good. 'Cause there's nothing evil about helping someone else, at its basic level.

Survival of the fittest. And ten little guys with sticks will beat one big guy with a treetrunk.

I think about these things too much, of course.

 

[Trickstergod]

Good will spend ten years painstakingly building a farm, getting merchants to buy its stock, eking out a living from the land. Evil will pick up a rock, brain Good, and take its stuff. Then, of course, Good's half-dozen big burly neighbours of the MacGood clan will come along and beat Evil to death, leaving Good the ultimate victor.

If the Evils lurking in the wilderness get together for mutual aid (reasoning that the MacGood clan can beat even the strongest lone Evil by ganging up on it), they're abandoning their evil and becoming another faction of Good. 'Cause there's nothing evil about helping someone else, at its basic level.

Survival of the fittest. And ten little guys with sticks will beat one big guy with a treetrunk.

I think about these things too much, of course.

Evil's about self-interest and selfishness. Teaming up with others for mutual aid isn't abandoning evil if the primary motivation is "So I don't get beaten." Abandoning evil and turning towards good would be more along the lines of teaming up with others for mutual aid "So that guy, and that guy, and that guy, don't get beaten."

Those evil-folk particularly don't give up evil if their mutual aid includes gathering together in a pack so they can beat the MacGood clan over the head with a rock and take their stuff.

Working together is not an indicator of alignment on the Good to Evil scale. Every unscrupulous merchant's guild, murderous assassin cult and sellsword mercenary band dashes that idea. The Law-Chaos scale is generally a more appropriate indicator of whether or not an individual will readily work with others. Those that are Lawful Evil certainly have a strong sense of hierarchy, dominance and submission.

While one might argue that there's nothing evil about helping others, it is certainly quite evil to manipulate and use others to ones own ends, and therein is how evil can readily work together.

 

[Ranger REG]

... or HUMOR?

1 All people act in self interest to derive personal 'benefit'
2 humans are social animals and thus self interest depends on social relationships
3 good acts are more conducive to functional social relationships

and thus good is of greater benefit than evil

Beneficial, but boring. Besides, social relationships can take all forms, including sado-masochism.