The words, good and evil, and right and wrong, have been interpreted ambiguously over generations by humanity, and the finer details of their ethics are still obscured , even for the most intelligent. minds, often forcing us to stick to the few fundamental principles that seek to preserve the future existence of humanity. Throughout John Milton's Paradise Lost, we encounter this constant struggle between good and evil, as the enigmatic and eternal Satan – a character who is perhaps the main hero and protagonist of the epic poem – leads a vain war against the tyranny of God in heaven. Satan, like all angels, is keenly aware of the differences between abstract philosophies of what is considered good and evil. And just like theologians before him, Milton suggests that humanity, like the angels of heaven, has always possessed the ability to discern good from evil. However, Milton's humanity – unlike the angels of heaven – had the opportunity to disobey by consuming the fruit of the forbidden Tree of Knowledge. This leads one to wonder whether humanity's choice of damnation was illusory and whether Eve was destined to eat the fruit of the tree, untouched by anything except the divine hand of God, or whether all beings under heaven must answer before God for their actions. they took. While human views on fatalism are open to interpretation, Milton suggests throughout his work that all beings under God's domain possess the ability to choose their destiny and govern their own destiny. This coincides with the views of Rabbi Maimonides and the dialogue of the angel Raphael. Most religions of Jewish origin choose that humanity has had access to the knowledge of good and evil through each... middle of paper. ....disease is a golden thread that runs through the fixed matrix of fixed events (Heinlein). However, after applying the logic of free will and choice presented by John Milton and Maimonides, the words of Turkish playwright Mehmet Ildan seem more appropriate. “We are not celestially destined for a particular path; every road is our destiny; every path and every passage is our destiny” (ildan). Ultimately, you decide the life you live. Everything else is just a mockery. Works Cited Heinlein, Robert A. The Rolling Stones. New York: The Sons of Charles Scribner, 1952.ildan, Mehmet Murat. Quotes. October 21, 2009. March 1, 2010. Maimonides, Moses. The Guide for the Perplexed. Trans. Michael Friedlander. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 2004. Milton, John. Paradise lost. 2nd. New York: Barnes & Noble books, 2004.