Elves and Ringwraiths - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Ivriniel · 02-26-2014, 05:19 PM

About moral relativism in the Mythology--meh--I see what is being argued, but the mythology does take either of a moral universalist's or moral absolutist's emphasis a about good and evil. Evil is caste more as something tangible, and as an 'essence', and not as the relativists put it in our world, where, for example, 'one man's terrorist is another's hero'.

In the Tolkien mythology, Evil was something that could be 'incarnate'. It was not merely extreme narcissism, or psychopathy, as we often attribute to evil in our world. It was not merely the lust and power and pleasure of killing, or of enslaving, or sadism. Sauron was, indeed, sadistic, and a power hungry freak, bent on invading everyone's will with his own, and controlling everything. A bit like an overgrown tantruming child really.

The evil of Sauron and Morgoth was more. It was something that had 'fell' attributes. It syphoned life, and more. It perverted the essence of life. It rotted, violated, seduced and corrupted. But by these things, we're meaning, for example, the black breath of the Ringwraiths. The paralysing fear created by staring into a Dragon's eye (though that is more magical fear than evil), and the capacity to use magical powers to mar and unmake beauty.....

Moral relativism is very different. In a moral relativist's universe, Mirkwood would not get all scary and nasty, just by having a tyrant take over to install another regime. Magical power, itself, would not be good or evil, it would merely be magical power, but in Middle Earth, certain magical effects were somehow, innately vile.

02-26-2014, 05:19 PM	#11
Ivriniel Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 430	About moral relativism in the Mythology--meh--I see what is being argued, but the mythology does take either of a moral universalist's or moral absolutist's emphasis a about good and evil. Evil is caste more as something tangible, and as an 'essence', and not as the relativists put it in our world, where, for example, 'one man's terrorist is another's hero'. In the Tolkien mythology, Evil was something that could be 'incarnate'. It was not merely extreme narcissism, or psychopathy, as we often attribute to evil in our world. It was not merely the lust and power and pleasure of killing, or of enslaving, or sadism. Sauron was, indeed, sadistic, and a power hungry freak, bent on invading everyone's will with his own, and controlling everything. A bit like an overgrown tantruming child really. The evil of Sauron and Morgoth was more. It was something that had 'fell' attributes. It syphoned life, and more. It perverted the essence of life. It rotted, violated, seduced and corrupted. But by these things, we're meaning, for example, the black breath of the Ringwraiths. The paralysing fear created by staring into a Dragon's eye (though that is more magical fear than evil), and the capacity to use magical powers to mar and unmake beauty..... Moral relativism is very different. In a moral relativist's universe, Mirkwood would not get all scary and nasty, just by having a tyrant take over to install another regime. Magical power, itself, would not be good or evil, it would merely be magical power, but in Middle Earth, certain magical effects were somehow, innately vile.