Hey Everyone!
My name is Steve. I'm not sure I'm ready to call myself a full blown atheist yet, but I'm certainly an agnostic. I really don't like the concept of religion, never mind the majority of the ones actually in practice! That said, I hope you guys don't mind me jumping in to your forums.
I've been pondering over an issue for a while now, and I was hoping to get some opinions from others who are open minded; not bound by the constraints of religion etc. In today's (at least North American) world, this can be pretty sensitive. I want to say, right off the bat, that I put a lot of effort in to being open minded, unprejudiced, and supportive to all minority groups.
My question is this: Do we have an obligation to live according to a moral standard, based on maximizing the prosperity of our genes, or our species?
For example, let's consider homosexuality. Is it wrong to be a homosexual who does not attempt artificial insemination, as it would result in a non-continuation of your genes? If we apply the example on a bigger scale, the problem becomes more clear. What if every person was a homosexual who did not practice artificial insemination? Would it be considered wrong to not practice artificial insemination, for the sake of the continuation of our species?
This is just one example. It's a tough and sensitive question, and I'm looking forward to some replies, (If you have a religious reply, please don't post it, I'm not interested in your religion!) Please, let's keep this one mature, and on topic. Thank you!
Cheers,
Steve
My name is Steve. I'm not sure I'm ready to call myself a full blown atheist yet, but I'm certainly an agnostic. I really don't like the concept of religion, never mind the majority of the ones actually in practice! That said, I hope you guys don't mind me jumping in to your forums.
I've been pondering over an issue for a while now, and I was hoping to get some opinions from others who are open minded; not bound by the constraints of religion etc. In today's (at least North American) world, this can be pretty sensitive. I want to say, right off the bat, that I put a lot of effort in to being open minded, unprejudiced, and supportive to all minority groups.
My question is this: Do we have an obligation to live according to a moral standard, based on maximizing the prosperity of our genes, or our species?
For example, let's consider homosexuality. Is it wrong to be a homosexual who does not attempt artificial insemination, as it would result in a non-continuation of your genes? If we apply the example on a bigger scale, the problem becomes more clear. What if every person was a homosexual who did not practice artificial insemination? Would it be considered wrong to not practice artificial insemination, for the sake of the continuation of our species?
This is just one example. It's a tough and sensitive question, and I'm looking forward to some replies, (If you have a religious reply, please don't post it, I'm not interested in your religion!) Please, let's keep this one mature, and on topic. Thank you!
Cheers,
Steve
