Origin:
The Big Bang is the best theory of the universe's creation to date. What was (if anything) 'before' the event (notions of time break down, so it's an imprecise term) is a mystery.
Meaning:
There's no inherent meaning for life. There's no ultimate purpose. Meaning comes from ourselves... our interactions with each other and our environment. One of the classic blunders of theistic thought is that, unless meaning is foisted upon us by an external source, we have no value. I believe that life is precious because it's finite and fragile. There will only ever be one of me, you, everyone. So, we might as well maximize the use of our time.
Significance is a loaded term. Humans are animals. And other animals have the capacity for language, and even rudimentary reasoning (not just primates or even mammals... look up crows and their apparent capacity for abstract thought).
Morality:
Humans are social creatures. Indeed, much of our survival depended on us banding together to brave the wilds. We're tribal. Morality is largely a manifestation of our evolution. We've developed a theory of mind (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_mind) which grants us the ability to empathize with others. As such, we can understand/predict that certain actions (theft, assault, murder, etc.) are harmful to those in our tribe, and ultimately harmful to ourselves.
IMO, this is how religions and early governments formed. They were codifications of things that maximized their tribe's chances of survival. It's why religions, in particular, put so much emphasis on how/when one can breed, or otherwise engage in sexual activity.
So, good and evil are subjective, in that they're the result of particular culture's attempt to maximize their group's cohesiveness.
Do I ever feel guilty about some things? Sure. Not because sin exists (the very notion of sin is laughable), but because, as an empathetic creature, I understand when I've caused harm. And that same awareness pushes me to remedy the situation.
Destiny:
When we die, we're obliterated. No awareness, no anything. As it was before our birth, it will be after our death.
The Big Bang is the best theory of the universe's creation to date. What was (if anything) 'before' the event (notions of time break down, so it's an imprecise term) is a mystery.
Meaning:
There's no inherent meaning for life. There's no ultimate purpose. Meaning comes from ourselves... our interactions with each other and our environment. One of the classic blunders of theistic thought is that, unless meaning is foisted upon us by an external source, we have no value. I believe that life is precious because it's finite and fragile. There will only ever be one of me, you, everyone. So, we might as well maximize the use of our time.
Significance is a loaded term. Humans are animals. And other animals have the capacity for language, and even rudimentary reasoning (not just primates or even mammals... look up crows and their apparent capacity for abstract thought).
Morality:
Humans are social creatures. Indeed, much of our survival depended on us banding together to brave the wilds. We're tribal. Morality is largely a manifestation of our evolution. We've developed a theory of mind (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_mind) which grants us the ability to empathize with others. As such, we can understand/predict that certain actions (theft, assault, murder, etc.) are harmful to those in our tribe, and ultimately harmful to ourselves.
IMO, this is how religions and early governments formed. They were codifications of things that maximized their tribe's chances of survival. It's why religions, in particular, put so much emphasis on how/when one can breed, or otherwise engage in sexual activity.
So, good and evil are subjective, in that they're the result of particular culture's attempt to maximize their group's cohesiveness.
Do I ever feel guilty about some things? Sure. Not because sin exists (the very notion of sin is laughable), but because, as an empathetic creature, I understand when I've caused harm. And that same awareness pushes me to remedy the situation.
Destiny:
When we die, we're obliterated. No awareness, no anything. As it was before our birth, it will be after our death.
