(September 10, 2011 at 9:01 am)StatCrux Wrote: If I were to meet an atheist who presents as a happy, confident, solvent individual, beautiful family, good friends etc (you get the picture) who went on to tell me the secret of his success in life was to lie, cheat, steal and stab others in the back at every opportunity, take no prisoners and give no quarter, be ruthless with strangers and only protect family and loved ones. How could I tell him that his behavior was "wrong" or "evil" using an atheistic worldview? "The tears of strangers are only water" would be an apt motto for this individual.
The best way to handle someone like this is to explain to him that if everyone acted this way, then it would become impossible for anyone to protect their family and loved ones, including himself. The best way to provide a better world for yourself and your loved ones is to treat others as though they are also your family, just maybe to a slightly lesser extent. If everyone on the planet worked together to provide a better world for everyone, then we'd all be better off. If everyone is greedy and evil, then the world obviously becomes a greedy, evil, violent place, which no one would enjoy. If everyone is good to each other and helps each other out, then the world is a peaceful, fun, progressive place to live.
