Hollander "Grappling with Evil in Our Time" Response

Hollanders Grappling with Evil, discussed evil among other things. He brought up how evil has been woven into our society and the media. He gave a good example by pointing out how far you have to look for a show or movie that is devoid of killing or bloodshed. These evil acts are being watched as entertainment. Even if they are seen as the villain, we still do not mind watching these violent acts be committed. While talking on evil, it is made apparent that evil is inescapable. Day to day we are subjected to various tiny evils. This brought to my mind the concept of original sin and how sin is automatically present within our lives. The fact that we enjoy watching films and shows that include evil can lead to people thinking that this is a result of original sin.

Another topic discussed was moral relativism. From what I read I took moral relativism to be the embodiment of being in the gray area.  The difference in morals and judgements from person to person could lead to conflict. With moral relativism, this is a non-issue because we learn to tolerate those who have a different set of morals than our own. Moral relativism can lead to dangerous thinking. I feel that some sets of morals cannot be tolerated. If in one person’s moral code killing a man is just then we should not simply tolerate his moral code. Granted this is a rather extreme case, however there are flaws in the thought process of a person who believes in moral relativism. It seems to be more of a passive ideology which avoids conflict but not necessarily the issues at hand.