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Worlds of Design: Is Fighting Evil Passé?
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<blockquote data-quote="Oofta" data-source="post: 7973846" data-attributes="member: 6801845"><p>I view the definition of good and evil in D&D as a game term. What do I mean? D&D necessarily simplifies a <em>lot</em> of things. HP, AC, sequential turns and so on. </p><p></p><p>So when we start discussing nuances of what good and evil means in the real world to a certain degree I think we're missing the point, or at least asking too much nuance from a game. I don't personally look at good and evil (in game) from a cultural perspective. I try to break it down into more abstract terms but of course nothing is perfect.</p><p></p><p>I think this would require a whole separate thread so an abbreviated version. I view good as having empathy, an acceptance of how our actions affect others, of not inflicting harm and pain on others if it can be avoided. General kindness and honesty. On the other hand evil tends to look at others as objects with no inherent value. In many cases loving another akin to a favored possession like how I love my car. They may also kill or cause pain because they enjoy it.</p><p></p><p>In the real world, I don't think people are entirely good or evil. I like to think of myself as a moderately good person (definitely not a saint) but I'm typing this up on a computer that was built with minerals who's mining causes massive amounts of environmental damage and personal suffering. There is no way to perfectly balance the scales.</p><p></p><p>So, yes, I think slavery is evil. Maybe not EVIL, but certainly not good. For example, in the Roman empire slaves could become citizens. Was that really evil? Maybe? On the other hand there were slaves that were thrown into the mines as disposable assets that were only expected to last a couple of years. Then again, I view the Roman Empire as LN at best. In part of course because thing changed <em>a lot</em> over time and region by region.</p><p></p><p>But I accept the tantalum that makes this message board possible means I accept at least some of the responsibility for the damage the mining of the mineral caused. Again, I accept some evil because of my privileged perspective as a member of a "first world" country.</p><p></p><p>So real world? Way too messy for something as simplistic as alignment. Probably not good for Star Trek games which at least attempts a sort-of reality based sci-fi. But for D&D? Eh. It works. It's a game. I don't pay too much attention to it, but it does help me decide what role certain creatures are going to fit in the stories I tell.</p><p></p><p>P.S. Yes, some of this, especially the mining aspect, comes from The Good Place. It was my version of advanced philosophy class. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite7" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue :p" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":p" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Oofta, post: 7973846, member: 6801845"] I view the definition of good and evil in D&D as a game term. What do I mean? D&D necessarily simplifies a [I]lot[/I] of things. HP, AC, sequential turns and so on. So when we start discussing nuances of what good and evil means in the real world to a certain degree I think we're missing the point, or at least asking too much nuance from a game. I don't personally look at good and evil (in game) from a cultural perspective. I try to break it down into more abstract terms but of course nothing is perfect. I think this would require a whole separate thread so an abbreviated version. I view good as having empathy, an acceptance of how our actions affect others, of not inflicting harm and pain on others if it can be avoided. General kindness and honesty. On the other hand evil tends to look at others as objects with no inherent value. In many cases loving another akin to a favored possession like how I love my car. They may also kill or cause pain because they enjoy it. In the real world, I don't think people are entirely good or evil. I like to think of myself as a moderately good person (definitely not a saint) but I'm typing this up on a computer that was built with minerals who's mining causes massive amounts of environmental damage and personal suffering. There is no way to perfectly balance the scales. So, yes, I think slavery is evil. Maybe not EVIL, but certainly not good. For example, in the Roman empire slaves could become citizens. Was that really evil? Maybe? On the other hand there were slaves that were thrown into the mines as disposable assets that were only expected to last a couple of years. Then again, I view the Roman Empire as LN at best. In part of course because thing changed [I]a lot[/I] over time and region by region. But I accept the tantalum that makes this message board possible means I accept at least some of the responsibility for the damage the mining of the mineral caused. Again, I accept some evil because of my privileged perspective as a member of a "first world" country. So real world? Way too messy for something as simplistic as alignment. Probably not good for Star Trek games which at least attempts a sort-of reality based sci-fi. But for D&D? Eh. It works. It's a game. I don't pay too much attention to it, but it does help me decide what role certain creatures are going to fit in the stories I tell. P.S. Yes, some of this, especially the mining aspect, comes from The Good Place. It was my version of advanced philosophy class. :P [/QUOTE]
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