Our server costs ~$56 per month to run. Please consider donating or becoming a Patron to help keep the site running. Help us gain new members by following us on Twitter and liking our page on Facebook!
Current time: February 11, 2025, 11:06 am

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Evolutionary explanation of morality self-refuting?
#9
RE: Evolutionary explanation of morality self-refuting?
(April 17, 2012 at 8:49 pm)genkaus Wrote:
(April 17, 2012 at 8:32 pm)teaearlgreyhot Wrote: But, from an atheistic perspective, if reason is the result of evolution, then how do we know that the process of evolution has given us the faculties to properly know what really is true? Perhaps it has given us faculties that cannot discern what is really true because it was better for our survival? From a theist perspective, they think God would have (assuming they're theistic evolutionists) guided evolution to give man the ability to know truth. From a theists point of view, in purely naturalistic universe, there's no guarantee that evolution would give us the ability to know truth (because delusion might be better for survival).

The proof is in the pudding - not the making of it. You don't ask the cook exactly how he made the pudding to judge whether it is tasty or not, you eat it and find out.

How can we know that evolution has given us the faculty to know the truth? Because we can actually find out the truth by using it. It works.

Could this faculty have been absent or completely opposite given a different course of evolution? Ofcourse. The multitude of animals who don't have the same faculty are evidence of that.

Is there a guarantee that evolution would always give us the ability to know the truth? No. In fact, it'd be highly unlikely. Why would that matter?

Can we rely on this faculty of reason given that the chances of this faculty emerging in another evolutionary chain are extremely low?
Why not? Does the man who wins the lottery refuse to take the money because the chances of his winning were extremely low? The only thing that matters is that it works. Use it or lose it.

You seem to assume that our faculties can know truth though. I'm asking how can we know that we can know what's true. For instance, maybe 'x' can really equal 'non-x' in reality but because of evolutionary processes, we can't comprehend that truth because it wasn't beneficial to our survival. Theists would say that because God is good and that God is truth, he'd ensure mankind would have the ability to know truth. I'm not seeing any such guarantee from a naturalistic point of view.
My ignore list




"The lord doesn't work in mysterious ways, but in ways that are indistinguishable from his nonexistence."
-- George Yorgo Veenhuyzen quoted by John W. Loftus in The End of Christianity (p. 103).
Reply



Messages In This Thread
RE: Evolutionary explanation of morality self-refuting? - by Tea Earl Grey Hot - April 17, 2012 at 9:05 pm

Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Morality Kingpin 101 9327 May 31, 2023 at 6:48 am
Last Post: The Grand Nudger
  Here is Practical Explanation about Next Life, Purpose of Human Life, lunwarris 49 5858 January 7, 2023 at 11:42 am
Last Post: arewethereyet
  A Case for Inherent Morality JohnJubinsky 66 8947 June 22, 2021 at 10:35 am
Last Post: John 6IX Breezy
  Morality without God Superjock 102 12226 June 17, 2021 at 6:10 pm
Last Post: Ranjr
Exclamation Here is Practical Explanation about Next Life, Purpose of Human Life, barji 9 1818 July 10, 2020 at 10:42 pm
Last Post: Peebothuhlu
Wink Refuting Theistic Argument Ricardo 40 5152 October 7, 2019 at 3:11 pm
Last Post: BrianSoddingBoru4
  self illusion joe90 18 3877 April 8, 2019 at 2:34 pm
Last Post: no one
Exclamation Here is Practical Explanation about Next Life, Purpose of Human Life, asthev 14 2807 March 17, 2019 at 3:40 pm
Last Post: chimp3
  Morality Agnostico 337 48882 January 30, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Last Post: vulcanlogician
Exclamation Here is Practical Explanation about Next Life, Purpose of Human Life, auuka 21 3884 October 7, 2018 at 2:12 pm
Last Post: Reltzik



Users browsing this thread: 3 Guest(s)