RE: Some thoughts about the obvious.
I was going to answer the comment before, but I was interrupted, so here it is a bit late.
Evil is the use of force against others for reasons other than self-defense.
Your definition of evil I think is quite specific, saying, for example, that since you believe that freedom and independence are good, then you believe that anything contrary to such is bad. Right?
Because if I asked, on the other hand, a Marxist, it is likely that his answer is contrary to what you say, as in fact, soo.chong163, which I don't think is Marxist, does not agree either.
So, do they know what evil is?
I am sure that if I asked them, what is evil? they would also respond with things related to their beliefs. Is evil many and contradictory things at the same time?
That is why I defined good as what gives us the result we want, in your case it would be, I think, freedom and independence, in other cases it could be things like equality or others.
But what do people believe is evil? that is, what do we define as evil? We define as bad that which is precisely contrary to what we believe is good, what is bad is what we believe will give an unwanted result.
Therefore, the definition that you give, I think is quite good, in fact, in your specific case, and for people who look for the same as you (among whom I am to a large degree), but not for others.
That is, it is a relative evil, and not the evil itself, not the objective evil.
The objective evil is precisely that which causes us the greatest misfortune, that which brings us the result that we least desire, whatever this may be. That would be my definition, which is not exempt of errors of course. People choose evil, effectively, because it seems to be good, because nobody will choose to do something that brings bad results in a conscious way.
But it is as you say, I also change my mind so frequently that I no longer know, and did not trust any argument for a long time, only in logic.
Basically it is this. It is quite simple. That is why I use it now. I haven't been able to reduce it any further.
I am born. I have my body. I have my mind. I gather food. I seek shelter. I use my mind. I create.
Nowhere in there does it say I make someone do what I want. Nowhere in there does it say I attack others. Nowhere in there does it say I steal from others.
If it is voluntary it is good. (your choice)
If it is involuntary (someone else forcing you) it is evil.
Now there will always be good and evil. So you must be able to defend yourself and your property.
The biggest difference between soo.chong163 and I stems around property. I believe in private property. He/She/They do not.
I believe if I created something with my own hands and I did not enter contract to create it for someone else for some agreed upon exchange then the item is my property. soo.chong163 does not.
So yes, I am pretty sure they are a Marxist. I've seen a lot of that type of thinking in their responses. Whether they self-identify as that I don't know. He/She/They call me a Libertarian. Really I am not. I was. I am more of a minarchist, voluntarist.
We must adapt to new information and change with it. I can see that you do that.
Also, how are things going for you in Venezuela? It seems to be heating up politically speaking down there.
Oh, tension has increased, contrasted with the last few months that had gone off a bit. There is a certain "Middle Eastern country" climate, if you understand what I mean. All people accelerated and a loose energy there. There is a state of alert.
Government and the opposition tried to mobilize people who don't have, because both lack popularity really, but there is that preparation aura.
Actually there are not many factual changes, only a psychological weight and a generalized stress, united of course to the whole "common" situation.
Do you see any light at the end of the tunnel for escaping the socialism?
Of course, I think it's already at the end of the tunnel, whatever happens, I really think that there is relatively little left. Nor is it possible to be pessimistic at this point.
The government itself has retracted some of its measures silently, it is simply not possible for them to govern with the same measures that don't work, because the more they maintain them, the more they lose power, and the more they are ignored by the population.