In short, yes and no. Things like right vs wrong, truth vs lie, good vs evil are all known based on what we have been taught. We have been taught killing is bad so we believe it is. Until about 60 years ago white children were brought up to believe they were God's gift to the world and every other race was beneath them. It is all about context. In a world where Germany won World War 2, our ideals would be drastically different. Instead of seeing Hitler as a sadistic monster he would be seen as a deity, as the man who rid the world of its "Jew problem". But because the Allies won, we have the opposite viewpoint. If the South had won the Civil War black people would likely still be enslaved across the nation and a majority of the white populous would have no complaints. But like I said, right and wrong all depend on who won. There is no inherent rule for what can be deemed good and what can be deemed bad. The ones who put these rules into place are the ones in power who set moral constructs to fit their ideals.
What got me thinking about this topic was a show I strongly suggest everyone watch due to its incredible story and godlike soundtrack, Death Note. In this story a battle of who's justice was right became the main conflict. We had Light, who believed in a justice were all criminals were killed off to leave a world of peace, and we had L, who believed in a justice where you punished based on what has been done already and not what could potentially be done in the future. In this world set by the author, he makes it perfectly clear that we should not lean towards either side. He doesn't push one way or the other, instead he lets the winner of this ideological battle set the stage for what true justice is. Through this series, we see both sides of the argument with no pressure towards either one. Our only gauge for who was right is by looking back at it, just like it is in our world today. In our real life philosophical battles, if you truly believe your side to be right, you better be sure to win or else you might just end up on the bad side of history.
Comments