Problem of good and evil for an atheist

[Existentialist]

Whether you think there is any such thing as evil depends on your definition of the word evil. That in turn depends on whether you think words are defined by a dictionary or by each of us individually. Personally, I don't think dictionaries are ever any help since they are always produced after the usage of the words they describe, never before. I decided about 15 years ago to stop using the word evil completely, at least outside the world of artistic fiction. It seemed to me that the word evil had become inseparable from the concept of supernatural badness, and I didn't want to be mistaken as inferring a supernatural component to unpleasant human actions. I am also keen to try and make the transition from being culturally Christian to being culturally atheist, which is the biggest transition that anybody can make in our society and I'm not sure anyone has ever achieved it. But to make such a transition I think it is essential not to engage in any activity that replicates religious behaviour and religious thinking. Calling things evil is just such a behaviour. It's a way of keeping ourselves in familiar territory. I'd rather get away from all that.