I guess I wonder how an atheist defines what is right or wrong.
The reason it is objectively bad for people to engage in murder is precisely because there is a reason not to murder people. We are rational beings, with the capability to ponder on, and analyse our actions. The at of murder kills the person, which is objectively bad for victim and also the people connected to the victim.
Just because there is no punishment or reward in the afterlife doesn't mean there aren't reasons to do, or not do certain actions. There are other perfectly rational reasons to not be evil.
i stand by my opinion that most people are retarded
The reason it is objectively bad for people to engage in murder is precisely because there is a reason not to murder people. We are rational beings, with the capability to ponder on, and analyse our actions. The at of murder kills the person, which is objectively bad for victim and also the people connected to the victim.
Just because there is no punishment or reward in the afterlife doesn't mean there aren't reasons to do, or not do certain actions. There are other perfectly rational reasons to not be evil.
says the guy who acts on his feelings vs what is rational and irrational (aka good or wrong learn how to define your pretensions crap )yes you are.
What are these rational reasons not to be evil? Why shouldn't I take from those who have more in order to fill my own needs/desires? Why shouldn't I end the existence of another, especially if I feel that the other is impeding on my needs and desires? Why should I feel bad for destroying another group if it secures the advancement of me and my group? You cannot possibly believe that all could have every desire and need filled simultaneously. There will always be advancement of one at the expense of another, history and nature itself teaches this quite well.
(As a side note, I do not actually believe in the validity of these statements. I simply wish to know how you could avoid this conclusion in the absence of God.)
Forgive me for not putting quotes to each reply within this, it would take more space than necessary.
I think what I was asking was misunderstood. I don't adhere to morality only because I'm "scared" of consequences. What I was asking was rather if you could actually argue (in the absence of God) that anything is right or wrong, in an absolute sense. And in reply to Guy Incognito, how would slitting my throat to save yourself any less fucked up than murdering someone for financial gain? So your saying as long as your life isn't in danger it's wrong to kill, but as soon as you are threatened individually than you will do whatever necessary to preserve yourself? That may be how you feel, but please don't lump me in with you.
I guess I wonder how an atheist defines what is right or wrong. Is it whatever is better for a group? The majority? The elite? I can't understand why atheists scoff at the idea of the Bible, since it is believed by them to be man made and thus flawed, but wouldn't morality be the same? What makes your feelings for what is right and wrong any more valid than the next persons?
people are innately selfish and fearfull
and when you make decisions based on greed or fear you end up with people who are devoid of Morales
i never needed to be told not to kill or hurt or be mean to people i always knew it was not niceor right thing to do, because i have empathy
and if you do then it doestn mean your bad person it just means your not good at reasoning and rationalizing what is irrational and what is rational actions/thoughts
and require guidance
who is the bigger fool
the man who follows the fool or the fool who leads
Hey, GK. You speak as if you are not familiar with the science of biology or the intricacies of evolution by natural selection. Most biologists I have read take the view that human morality comes from an evolutionary advantage. Early humans tended to gather into tribes of roughly 150 or less, so chances were very high that all tribe members were genetically related. So, taking care of one another, and a certain amount of 'altruism' took place to ensure that one's genes were passed on (biologically the only intrinsic purpose of life). It was you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours to the mutual benefit of all tribe members. To this day, most of us can only really know about 150 people or less at any given time, and we still have the evolved urge to 'take care of and watch out for' other tribe members, which now is extended to society at large. Even though it is very unlikely that we share ancestral DNA with any particular individual in today's massive societies, this evolved morality and seeming altruism is still present in us. This morality is seen in most higher primates and mammals, tribe members look out for their own, and even piranhas in a feeding frenzy don't eat each other.
We can see how morality is independent of any religious teachings simply by how people are able to pick and choose the 'good' parts (love thy neighbor) of their holy texts from the 'bad' (kill entire towns that don't share our beliefs). If our morals came from these texts, then logically we wouldn't be able to decipher the wrong from the right of said texts. The more science one is familiar with, the easier it is to explain reality without the need of positing a creator or higher power...
You still fail to show any rational reason not to do as I described earlier. And it could be "rationally" argued that empathy is irrational.
I can't speak for all atheists... but I don't think there is a right or wrong when it comes to morals. It's about what you think and feel.
in society's around the world strength in numbers helps survival
killing people off doestn improve strength in numbers and even creates turmoil that cause s more conflict , resulting in more loss of "strength of numbers "
when you arbitrarily kill people you inevitably might require to survive later in life(any number of possible scenarios ) then killing people irreparably effects your future
if logic and reason are not sufficient enough to understand that limiting your possible survival by taking others lives is foolish
not divine
then you sir should always be religious , we dont need any nuts running around not knowing how to amicably exist in life
It's like you read my mind....Wait, why? Are you telling me the ONLY reason you believe stealing, murder, and adultery are wrong is because your book says so? If someone had not given you a bible that explicitly stated those actions are wrong, you would have absolutely no sense of right/wrong? That is seriously fucked up dude. I can determine what is right and what is wrong based on a mutual respect with other humans. I don't commit "wrongs" because I don't want to wrong other people, not because the bible says not to. If that is the only reason you hold any morality then you are a fucked up piece of scum who I would rather not live in society with me. That's just my opinion though.
Why does taking god out of the equation all of a sudden mean I don't respect other people's feelings? I don't murder and rob people because it is wrong and I know it is wrong. I don't want them doing it to me and my family, so I won't do it to them and their family. I don't want people to rape me, so I won't rape other people. I don't want people to be mean to me, or steal from me either so I don't do it to other people. I don't understand how god plays any part of that agreement even slightly. Again, if your reason for not doing these "wrong" things is because god says so then you are a terrible person, or you are at least worst than an atheist who has his own moral compass outside of religion.
If it was down to me and you, and it was a matter of life and death, then sure I would slit your throat in a second. I wouldn't be happy about it, but I will do whatever I need to survive. I'm sure you and everyone else here would do the same. But it's not like that. I don't need to murder people and take their stuff to survive. Not only do I not need to do that to survive, but everyone is better off if I (or anyone really) don't do that unnecessarily.
i never siad everyone you meet , so your presumption it self is incredibly ignorant
you would be wrong, maybe you choose to be around very different crowd then i do, once again your choice not divine right
"One may believe that the murder of another for outright personal gain is wrong. But another may say that if said gain is used to take care of his and his own, then the positives (the furtherance of his and his own) outweigh the negatives (the decimation of another, in which the first has no personal connection or care).
" greenkid
where you fail to see your facade and fallacy is that your scenario is all about you and your gain and not the loss of the said person you take no time to postulate that the death of one man, and the loss to those who rely or live in his life, for another family gains could plausibly have much greater effects then just one mans family prospered
you only take into account one view one perspective and this is where oyu fail,
your self centered and ego centric view that a death isnt arbitrary because if helped you and yours is about as back ass wards as can be.
perception is not reason , and if you perceive your gain by anothers death , all it shows is your self centered views
it is never positive to kill another in order to protect your own
with that logic if you ship Chinese people in containers and kill 80% and use the money to build an orphanage is ok, well its not and that's why we have real laws that dont allows that
it is entirely rational or irrational based on the context of the situation
and i doubt you will understand
you seem to want to make every rational or irrational thought you have been ok because you think it or did it
and it is simply not, if i killed someone so save my own child that death should not be celebrated, and i can celebrate my kid being here without wishing other person dead, its called unbiased and objective
they call that a god complex