(February 22, 2012 at 12:04 am)AndrewT Wrote: It seems you spend more time trying to convince each other of that God does not exist than working through issues of meaning with each other.Unfortunately this is true of the atheist/humanist community in general. Most atheists do little except badmouth religion. And if an atheist should graduate to humanism he finds only a vague, individualistic and global creed that offers little guidance for living.
Regarding philosophy, the only source of values for atheists boils down to our desires/emotions/feelings. Historically, the philosophers of desire were folks like David Hume, Bertrand Russell, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, and Adam Smith. (But I'm no expert, so don't quote me). But those old guys tend to be so longwinded that you'll want to start with modern-day equivalents.
Again, I'm no expert, but here's a few candidates:
Philosopher Alain de Botton ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Oe6HUgrRlQ
Professor of Psychology Jonathan Haidt ...
(skip to 4:40 for his take on morality)
testign 123
Philosopher Richard Carrier: Is happiness the Goal of Morality?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctfh3O7ofl0
Psychologist Valerie Tarico ...
(skip to 1:40 for her 10 commandments)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsvVwnjL68s#t=101s
http://www.valerietarico.com/
http://awaypoint.wordpress.com/
Alas, humanist philosophy still has a long way to go to offer a compelling alternative to religion i.e. a strong communities with a clear value system. Hopefully this will come soon.
