Morality

[vulcanlogician]



In my view it’s not like logic, it is like Truth. Logic, and reason may be used to discern what’s is True or what is Good, but is not truth or good itself, which exists independently of logic. To say it’s similar to logic, is like suggesting a shovel used to dig gold out of a ditch, is like gold itself.

But then we agree, don't we? Logic is a tool with which can unearth the Truth. The truth is that the Good exists. Logic can carry you from not knowing the Good to knowing the Good. Knowing the Good leads to doing good actions. Doing good actions is what we call moral or virtuous behavior.

Unless you think that theists are the only ones capable of using logic, why is religion necessary? What keeps an atheist from knowing the Good?

Since you quoted from the Republic, I assume you know that Plato gives a plentitude of reasons one is motivated to be good simply through knowledge of goodness itself. A theist might point to Books IX and X because they found arguments on the immortality of the soul. But the rest of the the Republic does not. Therefore, an atheist can accept those reasons as much as any theist. And even Books IX and X can be problematic for a Christian (if you're going to take Plato literally there) because his notion of the soul's immortality assumes reincarnation.