Is Satan evil?

[genkaus]

While you're half right (it is mental masturbation), a small bone of contention there, handsome. Fantasy and sci-fi (really, all fiction) is where we work out our ideas about morality along the road to a hero's journey or a coming of age story or whatever way you frame it. We put ideas into environments that hopefully foster better understanding that's applicable to the real world.

Unfortunately, when people take them too seriously, we have...religion.

And whatever you call those tards who follow Atlas Shrugged.

Not exactly true. It was written less as a means to work out ideas about morality and more as a mouthpiece of the author's existing moral code. The main purpose of the book was to showboat her philosophy and Rand didn't even try to disguise the fact.

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As long as we are on the topic, is Sauron really evil? I mean he is just doing the exact same thing as Frodo and his gang, trying to have his worldview promoted throughout middle earth. The other characters in that made up story have similar means. I think debating the morality of mythical characters gives too much credence to them in the first place.

Ofcourse Sauron is evil. That's because what he wants to do with his one ring is to impose his will upon others.

My point is, I don't see any problem in discussing morality of mythical creatures all day, as long as we remember they are mythical.