rationalskepticism.org

jamest wrote:

TopCat wrote:

jamest wrote:Nuking the whole world would count I think as an act of absolute evil

By nuking it I'd agree, but how about an off switch, that instantly, painlessly, killed all humans, including the switch operator.

Would operating the switch be evil? There'd be no one to suffer any more.

I don't know how the operator could justify such an action without declaring all humans as utterly evil (or at least 'bad'), including themself, in which case their act would necessarily be evil or bad also.

If the operator does not think that all humans are evil/bad, then pressing the button would also be an evil/bad action, for now the operator is knowingly killing good people too.

So, I'd say that the operator is evil in either case.

Leaving aside all the pets that would be locked in the house, and all the battery chickens that would die (more) unpleasantly, and the nuclear reactors that would eventually melt down and contaminate the surroundings (my off switch could release or euthanise them too, and harmlessly disable the reactors)...

... it's not obvious to me why killing *everyone* would be evil. Even killing is an odd word to use in this context. There would just be no humans any more. No one would be suffering, as is the case if you kill specific humans.

One moment there, next moment gone. Sounds quite nice, in a way. Leave the animals and plants to find their equilibrium again, like they had before humans came along and trashed the place.

I'm not trolling, BTW, this is a genuine question, even if I'm a very amateurish philosopher. And I do think evil is a thing, even if it's hard to define. The holocaust was a huge evil.