Thanatos Ate My Homework
Good and Evil as anything beyond a social construct seems a bit silly to me. Looking empirically at different societies, even those pesky, demonized Nazis, one can still find evidence that these concepts of good and eveil are pretty universal. Oh god... how's he gonna explain this one...
Good, divine influence, enlightenment. Look at as many as you can and you will start to see a trend: Actions that aid the society in which you live. Teachers: Buddha, Jesus, Confucius, Socrates, will almost always fill this role as their lives are almost constantly devoted to society. Not only dp they set the example but they spread it to others. But it is not merely limited to mentoring. Doing ones part for society (i.e. in a caste system), whether it be a soldier, scribe, or farmer, is what has also been considered good.
Evil, bad karma, Satanic influence, etc. There is a trend here as well: selfish or lazy actions that can possibly harm your neighbor. Murder and theft outside of self preservation or caste system, foregoing repayment of a debt or promise (not always finicial), etc. People in positions of power tend to fit this bill more often than not (notice the fine line between power and preservation,& the evil powerful and the good mentors). Rarely do people with power wish to part with it, and they will go to certain extremes to keep it, at the cost of others around them.
Now, here's the rub... it has been universally excepted that no one is wholely good (aside from a few history shattering examples), but many look at certain groups as completely evil. Those of you that think I'm gonna call Bullshit on that statement continue reading... everyone else, feel free drop dead for your ignorance. Based on the empirical definittion of good and evil (detailed above) it is impossible that a group or society of people as a whole be evil. Classically evil society's (the Nazi's, barbarian hordes, Templars) all operate under the preservation of their society.The harm they've caused to others was not looked at as evil actions against people, but good actions for their neighbor. This is not to say that the individuals of the society are not evil In fact, just as likely that someone be wholey good, it is just as possible to have someONE be sincerely evil.
Almost never have you found someone to look at themselves as evil. Although, I would venture to say that the concept of evil has become alot more attractive in recent years. People look at being evil as being Badass, powerful, and intimidating to others. Musicians and filmmakers will tout themselves as "black and evil as the darkest pit of hell" to attract this crowd that (when caught in the right mood) have no problem telling you how evil they are. Fakers and thespians, the lot of them. Listening to Dimmu Borgir and watching "Faces of Death" doesn't make you evil, it's all entertainment. It's your actions that define this, and luckliy enough, most of these damned posers lack the balls to follow through with their message.