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As human beings, we want to believe that we are all capable of goodness; that we desire to treat our neighbors with kindness and have not simply the instinct but a true desire to do what is right and good, rather than what is evil. It is a simple enough exercise to define the meaning of the word 'good'; a much more difficult one to look at how this definition can change and become subjective depending upon the subject matter at hand and the various belief systems and cultural differences that have a direct effect on shaping one's opinion.

Webster's gives us a definition of "good" as "morally excellent, virtuous, pious". Pretty simple and straightforward, right? However, one's definition of what is good will vary depending upon one's culture, morals, or personally-held beliefs, and as we know, one's moral beliefs are derived from our worldview, or our outlook on the world based upon our basic belief system, which includes religious beliefs as well as cultural norms and mores. FGM, or Female Genital Mutilation, for example, is an acceptably held moral belief in North Africa because it is believed to prevent the birth of hydrocephalic babies, the poisoning of the mothers milk, and preventing vaginal cancer, whereas in North America and throughout the rest of the world it is considered immoral for reasons that seem patently obvious to those who do not share the North African culture. Genocide was an acceptable belief held by the German Nazi party, who considered it a highly moral act because it contributed to their philosophy of the Aryan race as supreme. For over four hundred years slavery was an accepted practice in this country, along with its inhumane and cruel treatment. And in ancient times, it was a morally held belief among the Canaanites to offer up their children as human sacrifices to the god Molech. Can any of us judge these acts as immoral or evil based upon our own definition of what is inherently good and what is inherently evil? The problem is that man's idea of what is good is an ever-changing one; it is subjective. Consider the highly debated topic of abortion. Prior to 1973 abortion was illegal in the United States (with the exception of a few states). Today, though it is legal, it is still a hotly-contested issue among people. Why? Because man's notion of what is right and what is wrong is based upon none other than man himself, a fallible human being whose ways are movable, whose thoughts and ideas adapt and change with the times.

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