Suppose I'll join in with this. I don't think my answers will add much to what has already been provided but I'll give my views.
I think it my be possible to know how the universe came to exist. Whether or not there was any divine intervention in this process is beyond me.
Subjectively, of course. This question sort of depends on how you view morality. In many cases, morality is no more than a mechanism for control/oppression. It is immoral for blacks to marry whites, it is immoral for a woman to speak in church, it is immoral for two men to love each other, etc. In this sense, "morality" stems from a human desire for dominance and distaste towards anything different. However, I doubt this is the "morality" you were looking for. If what you meant was "kindness" and "do unto others...", then as previously stated by others, it is a useful mechanism for ensuring survival and will be favoured by natural selection. Of course, upbringing can often jeapordise this in the name of "morality" when a ridiculous cultural claim is taken to be divinely inspired (eg in culture A it is "wrong" to wear cotton, but in culture B it is an accepted practice, so culture A destroys culture B in the name of an issue which truly doesn't come down to "morality" at all). I hope I've made clear my views of "morality" and how a lot of issues are labelled falsely as such.
I believe somebody on this forum (is it Samson?) has a quote in their signature saying something similar to "morality is derived from intelligence". In a round-about way I agree with this. It's all about how much thought you put into things. Empathy is a great reason for acting kindly, but often we have to actually think about our actions to determine how each party will feel about them. I know that if I hurt somebody it will make them sad, and I know that I don't like being sad. For some reason or another, I'm able to make the connection and empathise with the victim. If I hide from my emotions and refuse to think about the consequences of my actions, I'm sure I would be capable of great evils.
Empathy is a good reason, rational thinking being its driving force. As for health- personal choice. If you value your life enough to want to keep it, you will treat your body with care.
Yes, it would bother me if someone turned to religion to make their life easier. Using what I believe to be fairy tales as a safety blanket just fills me with pity for this person. It's such a shame that they've been reduced to this. If however, a person turns to religion because they have thought clearly about all of the evidence (or lack thereof) and have evaluated it appropriately and believe it to be correct, I am fine with that. Just so long as these people refrain from spilling their beliefs into the school system, through my letterbox or into the government- which they oftentimes do, hence my distaste.
No. The bottom line is that I can only be as certain about God as you can be about Allah, Zeus, Thor, Thumbalina and the Loch Ness Monster. My position is agnostic and I'm willing to change my mind in light of any evidence, but for the time being I live my life under the assumption that no deities exist.
Hope that helped.
(June 8, 2009 at 3:10 am)scameter Wrote: 1. Do you think it is possible to know why the universe exists?
I think it my be possible to know how the universe came to exist. Whether or not there was any divine intervention in this process is beyond me.
(June 8, 2009 at 3:10 am)scameter Wrote: 2. How do you think morality can exist without objective authority or verification?
Subjectively, of course. This question sort of depends on how you view morality. In many cases, morality is no more than a mechanism for control/oppression. It is immoral for blacks to marry whites, it is immoral for a woman to speak in church, it is immoral for two men to love each other, etc. In this sense, "morality" stems from a human desire for dominance and distaste towards anything different. However, I doubt this is the "morality" you were looking for. If what you meant was "kindness" and "do unto others...", then as previously stated by others, it is a useful mechanism for ensuring survival and will be favoured by natural selection. Of course, upbringing can often jeapordise this in the name of "morality" when a ridiculous cultural claim is taken to be divinely inspired (eg in culture A it is "wrong" to wear cotton, but in culture B it is an accepted practice, so culture A destroys culture B in the name of an issue which truly doesn't come down to "morality" at all). I hope I've made clear my views of "morality" and how a lot of issues are labelled falsely as such.
(June 8, 2009 at 3:10 am)scameter Wrote: 3. If there is no afterlife, what motivation would/should anyone have for living any particular way, such as trying to live ethically, civilly, healthily, or any specific way?
I believe somebody on this forum (is it Samson?) has a quote in their signature saying something similar to "morality is derived from intelligence". In a round-about way I agree with this. It's all about how much thought you put into things. Empathy is a great reason for acting kindly, but often we have to actually think about our actions to determine how each party will feel about them. I know that if I hurt somebody it will make them sad, and I know that I don't like being sad. For some reason or another, I'm able to make the connection and empathise with the victim. If I hide from my emotions and refuse to think about the consequences of my actions, I'm sure I would be capable of great evils.
Empathy is a good reason, rational thinking being its driving force. As for health- personal choice. If you value your life enough to want to keep it, you will treat your body with care.
(June 8, 2009 at 3:10 am)scameter Wrote: 4. If there is no afterlife and no essential or ultimate meaning to existence, why should an atheist care if someone believes in a religion and, indeed, if believing in a religion would make their life easier, would that bother you as an atheist?
Yes, it would bother me if someone turned to religion to make their life easier. Using what I believe to be fairy tales as a safety blanket just fills me with pity for this person. It's such a shame that they've been reduced to this. If however, a person turns to religion because they have thought clearly about all of the evidence (or lack thereof) and have evaluated it appropriately and believe it to be correct, I am fine with that. Just so long as these people refrain from spilling their beliefs into the school system, through my letterbox or into the government- which they oftentimes do, hence my distaste.
(June 8, 2009 at 3:10 am)scameter Wrote: 5. Can you be absolutely certain, without a doubt, that God or something supernatural does not exist?
No. The bottom line is that I can only be as certain about God as you can be about Allah, Zeus, Thor, Thumbalina and the Loch Ness Monster. My position is agnostic and I'm willing to change my mind in light of any evidence, but for the time being I live my life under the assumption that no deities exist.
Hope that helped.
