Assignment 3-Eliot Smith

     The concept of good vs. evil has been one deeply embedded in the fables, stories, and mindsets of humans for countless millennia.  Whether it is some mythical adventurer slaying a terrifying dragon or an unlikely hero defeating a corrupt ruler, this very familiar idea has been enjoyed by multiple generations of our species.
     Having said this, in the real world, the distinction between the two ends of the moral spectrum is not so clear-cut.  There is no action or entity that is wholly good or evil.  There is always some intriguing mix of the two, with the amounts of each never the same.  Or, maybe, there is no good.  Maybe there is no evil. Maybe an occurrence is just that, and an object or person just that as well.  After all, the theory of good vs. evil is man-made, it is not a law enforced by the universe, so how can we know whether anything is one or the other?  There is no way of proving the purity of the aforementioned adventurer or the turpitude of the nefarious ruler: no formula, no guidelines, only what we think.
     Let's take a look at the current situation in Syria.  Around two years ago, peaceful protests took root in the city of Deraa.  These protesters, motivated by the desire for democracy and freedom, were fired upon; four perished.  These acts resulted in the demands for the resignation of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.  Predictably, al-Assad refused, leading to a full-on civil war among the Syrian government and the Free Syrian Army. 100,000 have died, 2,000,000 have deserted the country, including 1,000,000 children.
     Although the United Nations have kept a close eye on the war since it's conception, talks about intervention have only recently spurred due to the allegations concerning the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government.  Countries including the United States, Britain, and France are generally in favor of sending troops to aid the rebels, while countries such as China and Russia are against the idea.
     It is impossible to separate either possible reaction to the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government into categories of solely good or solely evil.  If the UN were to aid the rebellion and send soldiers, the government would likely be crippled, and the citizens of Syria would be mostly content; however, people, humans like you and me, with families and loved ones, would cease to exist.  This could potentially be avoided by staying out of the crisis, but even then, countless numbers of innocent protesters would be tortured by their own country.
     Or, maybe this is just something.  Something that is happening in a world that has offered no assistance in the adventure of differentiating right from wrong, good from evil.