(March 3, 2013 at 12:48 pm)archangle Wrote: Golden rule came from religions. Golden rule is about thinking about others first and not you. That too is "religion".
Religions have the Golden Rule because everything points to our species having evolved a certain form of behaviour for group living. Did you read the article about The Evolution Of Empathy? That came first and adoption into religions and philosophies dating before Christianity came second.
(March 5, 2013 at 8:57 pm)jstrodel Wrote:(March 3, 2013 at 7:13 am)Confused Ape Wrote: golden rule
Atheism says there is no more reason to obey the golden rule than to obey it,
Atheists do not have the Golden Rule, atheists have the Golden Opinion.
As atheists are group living animals like religious people, the Golden Rule is as useful for atheists to obey as it is for religious people to obey. How well individuals manage to apply it depends on how empathic an individual is. An atheist with a highly developed sense of empathy will follow it a lot more successfully than a religious person with a poorly developed sense of empathy.
Where are the snake and mushroom smilies?