Good and evil - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

tumhalad2 · 09-05-2007, 07:06 AM

Personally, I think that there is not necisarilly any absolute 'good' in middle earth, rather Evil and non-Evil. both these are ultimately choices, and the closest that good can come to may be Gandalf, but ultimately, even in Middle-earth, it is to a degree "relitive"-according to circumstance etc. For example, in the story Tal-Elmar, the Numenorians come upon a tribe of natives in (what will become) Gondor, and however sail away with slaves and bounty. Tolkien is showing the reader, first hand, the ability of Men of all sorts, even the great Numenorians, to choose the "Evil" road. 'Non-evil' is therefor a wide ethical spectrum, and as the moral zeitgeist changes, so it does as well. There is no Ethical Standard in Middle earth, ultimately, there is Evil, which is less of a moral thing than a desire for entire nagation of creation, and non evil.

09-05-2007, 07:06 AM	#16
tumhalad2 Haunting Spirit Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 95	Personally, I think that there is not necisarilly any absolute 'good' in middle earth, rather Evil and non-Evil. both these are ultimately choices, and the closest that good can come to may be Gandalf, but ultimately, even in Middle-earth, it is to a degree "relitive"-according to circumstance etc. For example, in the story Tal-Elmar, the Numenorians come upon a tribe of natives in (what will become) Gondor, and however sail away with slaves and bounty. Tolkien is showing the reader, first hand, the ability of Men of all sorts, even the great Numenorians, to choose the "Evil" road. 'Non-evil' is therefor a wide ethical spectrum, and as the moral zeitgeist changes, so it does as well. There is no Ethical Standard in Middle earth, ultimately, there is Evil, which is less of a moral thing than a desire for entire nagation of creation, and non evil.