Power transcends good and evil.

I stand in negation of the concept that power transcends good and evil. Transcend: to rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed; to outdo or exceed in excellence, elevation, extent, degree, etc. (dictionary.com). Some responses: >> "I would like to argue from the position that there is a Christian god." Morality or concepts of good and evil cannot be dependent on God. Morality is authority-independent - even God cannot make it the case the wanton murder is morally acceptable. >> "We follow his various mandates and guidelines in order to achieve happiness and avoid suffering." That's interesting, considering following many of his guidelines like proscriptions on premarital sex, killing homosexuals, and no eating of seafood PREVENT one from achieving happiness, and CAUSE suffering. >> "On a divine level the rules become what God wants them to be. Good and evil have no say in a scope with omnipotence." Nooo.... if God suddenly smote Paris, you'd consider that to be an evil act, not an amoral act. Furthermore, the conceptualization of God and Satan in terms of good and evil shows the dichotomous relationship is present even in the face of great power, which directly negates the resolution. >> "So when Lucifer rebelled he was more political exile than enemy of good." That's very poor reasoning considering he is considered to be evil, not just a political rival. He was cast from heaven FOR being evil, not for being politically powerful. >> "The ideas imprinted into our conscious come directly from our experience with an all powerful being. What we believe to be morally correct is only a result of an implied consequence." This is quite obviously false, as there are plenty of cultures that do not accept an all-powerful being, yet have a perfectly acceptable notion of good and evil. What we believe to be morally correct is a function of societal norms working within the framework of the evolutionary capacity for moral judgment. >> "If God can break a law then it means that there is a power higher than God. " Which, if God is omnipotent, is a contradiction.... and would indicate that power does NOT go beyond good and evil, which is again in direct negation of the resolution. >> "Eventually, however, you will find the the absolute power be it God or something beyond. When you find that power you find the motivations for what is right or wrong. Good and evil originate from an all powerful source with an agenda that we cannot possibly understand." This presupposes the criteria by which good and evil come about is some sort of all-powerful-beyond-god-intelligence that even has an agenda. Obviously this is a very silly notion. Good and evil are simply the terms by which we characterize actions. This does not indicate that there is any sort of ultimate agenda or intelligence or power connected to moral considerations. ******************************************* Power and good/evil are not related. More good/evil does not equal more power, more power does not equal more good/evil. Power can be EXERCISED in good or evil ways, but this does not indicate that power transcends good and evil. The burden of proof is on my opponent to show first that power is related to moral considerations and second, that power in some fashion rises above or is beyond the influence of good and evil. He cannot do so. NEGATED.