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 Grey Templar wrote:


People are inherently bad.

What exactly makes you think that, sir?

 r3n3g8b0y wrote:

 Grey Templar wrote:


People are inherently bad.

What exactly makes you think that, sir?

It's one of his beliefs that has little grounding in reality, even then I think one should be doubtful when someone starts applying good and evil to something as big and complex as our world is.

 Cheesecat wrote:
even then I think one should be doubtful when someone starts applying good and evil to something as big and complex as our world is.

Well said.

 Grey Templar wrote:
It is completely true that power corrupts. Most evil is only held in check by an opposing force in the opposite direction.

People are inherently bad. That doesn't mean everyone would be an axe murderer though. But with newfound power, people would use it for some sort of selfish goal.

A person might use power to commit only petty thefts or just be a jerk. Nothing majorly serious, but its still wrong.

Then you will have the outliers that do really bad stuff with their powers. Just like you will have people that do good stuff with their powers.

I agree as absolute power corrupts absolutely everything. (as shown by wheatly in portal 2 even though it has nothing to do with magic)

 Cheesecat wrote:

 r3n3g8b0y wrote:

 Grey Templar wrote:


People are inherently bad.

What exactly makes you think that, sir?

It's one of his beliefs that has little grounding in reality, even then I think one should be doubtful when someone starts applying good and evil to something as big and complex as our world is.

You have evidence that people are inherently good?

Because I got lots of evidence people are evil.

BTW, evil includes all the little stuff too. Being a jerk to your siblings, stealing from the cookie jar, selfish thoughts, etc...

 Grey Templar wrote:


You have evidence that people are inherently good?

Because I got lots of evidence people are evil.

BTW, evil includes all the little stuff too. Being a jerk to your siblings, stealing from the cookie jar, selfish thoughts, etc...

He never stated he believed humans were inherently good.

As stated, this world is large enough to accomodate any views you have. I prefer to believe humans are good, because they are doing what they think is best. I think that at least makes them neutral.

Back to magic. I imagine it wouldn't go over well. The first people to actually take advantage of it would probably be the military. I imagine there would be some amount of discrimination or resentment, especially since these are people who could be considered always armed. It would be fun though.

I always liked the way Dragonlance handled magic and those who practiced it.

You would be schooled in the use of magic if you should an natural ability for it. You would be tested on your natural reactions in your use of magic. At the end, based on how you performed, you would be given a robe either of white (good), red (neutral), or black (dark). Thse found practicing magic without sanction from the guild would be forced to conform or be killed.

Been a while since I read any of the books, but I remember liking how they handled magic and those who use it.

If magic were real, I'd cast grease and Mage Hand every day and never leave my room.

Talk about "the stranger"....

 Grey Templar wrote:
You have evidence that people are inherently good?

Because I got lots of evidence people are evil.

BTW, evil includes all the little stuff too. Being a jerk to your siblings, stealing from the cookie jar, selfish thoughts, etc...

First up, he never said people were inherently evil. He simply said your claim that people are inherently evil was incorrect.

Second up, you rattling off anecdotes of people acting in 'evil'* ways no more prove that people are inherently evil, than a series of anecdotes in which people act 'good' would prove that we are inherently good.

We are complex, and we live in a complex world. To just throw around terms like good and evil is by itself so reductionist as to be a waste of time, but to then try to ascribe either term to humanity as a whole...




*Which relies on some unstated definition of evil, and the assumption that such a thing can be seen objectively, which is a whole other can of worms.

Would there be some sexy elves?

Yes, but they are xenophobic and live in small bands in the woods.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Yes, but they are xenophobic and live in small bands in the woods.

Regarding being xenophobic, I would tap into my skill set from everything I have learned from Hollywood movies such as Avatar, Dances with Wolves and the Last Samurai. I will enter their inhabitants, and through brave, selfless acts they will accept me as one of their own.

And hopefully they don't bang by connecting a gameboy cable link with each other.

If magic was discovered to be real I'd make it so my prescription of abilify was refilled in a promptly manner...

... oh and maybe I'd fly and shoot fire and stuff

On second thought, I'd want invisibility and teleportation, so I could have fun experiments with paranoia.

I think this is why we can't have nice things.

I suggest a third option: People are inherently donkey caves.

*Is in a very cynical and bitter mood after writing a paper about massacres in the American West, probably doesn't actually think this.... maybe.