What is good and what is bad or evil?

Answer 1

A:'Good' can be described as indefinable because it is a simple concept. In order to define a concept, it must be complex, composed of simpler concepts that can be used to define it. So, a daffodil can be described as a yellow flower, etc., but 'yellow' can not be defined. Bad is similarly a simple concept. Evil can perhaps be defined in terms of its 'badness'.

Nevertheless, there are different meanings of 'good' that are recognised. Good can be the opposite of 'poor' (quality). It can be the opposite to bad in the instrumental sense. Or it can be the opposite of bad in the moral sense.

Some seek to define 'good' in the moral sense as that which increases the total sum of pleasure in the world. Thus, an action that increases the pleasure of the person performing the act, at the expense of others, is not 'good' because the displeasure or harm to others outweighs the pleasure gained by the one perpetrator. In this way, bad and evil, as opposites to good, reduce the total sum of pleasure in the world.