spacegirl said:
Seems like everything we do good or bad cannot be subjective because we do not live in isolation of ourselves.
The belief that something we do is "good" or "evil" is based entirely upon its affect upon us as a species or as an invididual. To believe that this action is "good" or "evil" outside of the human situation is egocentric--we think we are the most important mortal entity in the universe (because we are the "smartest" on this one planet) and that something that is detrimental to us is "evil" and something that is beneficial to us is "good".
What you really have is not actions which are "good" and "evil" but actions which are ultimately beneficial or detrimental to a human or humanity. The difference? The former assumes that God shares our like or dislike of this action because He/She/It cares about the welfare of humanity, whereas the latter holds that the action is simply part of reality, part of the universe, and is not in and of itself good or bad except in the eyes of the human(s) being affected by it.
For example: a fire, in and of itself, is just a phenomonen. It is something that happens when the correct combination of conditions are met. These conditions are perfectly natural and the effects of the fire (the changing of the form of the matter that comes in contact with it) are perfectly natural. It is not good or bad, it just IS.
However, if it is the house of a human that is being burned down, or a human who is harmed by that fire, then we call it "evil" and some people will go so far as to insist that some malignant force opposing God was trying to "do evil" upon that human or the human's dwelling.
spacegirl said:
If I murder or steal from someone thats takes away from someone's wealth or takes someone's life. A chain of reaction is set upon by the decisions I make. How does this fit into Taoism?
The Natural Tao (the portion of the Eternal Tao that we can understand and which includes all the natural laws) would handle this. Anything that were to occur would be perfectly natural, despite the way in which a human or group of humans might look upon each seperate event. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is a stated scientific fact. Thus if we flout the physical laws of the universe and... oh, I don't know...step in front of a moving vehicle, we must expect to get hurt. Similarly, if we go against the moral laws society has set before us, we must be prepared to deal with the consequences society has designated for us. All this fits in with the Natural Tao. However, I suspect you were trying to argue that such actions would have eternal consequences. They do not, at least not the way in which you are saying. Yes, our actions would have an effect on society, but they would be short-lived when you compare the total history of humanity to the tiny individual deeds of each man or woman. And yes, the universe as a whole would be subtly, minutely changed after any destructive act on our part, but then again, it is subtly changed after ANY action, because every action is a change, and every change causes more change. So the Tao itself may be subtly changed, and we, joining the Tao upon death, may therefore be subtly changed as well... but this is not the kind of eternal consequence that is recognized in almost every other religion (Hell, constant reincarnation, reincarnation as a low life form, etc). It is not negative... it just IS!