(June 18, 2014 at 6:33 pm)Pickup_shonuff Wrote:(June 18, 2014 at 5:06 pm)Irrational Wrote: There is no absolutely objective basis for why rape is wrong (although some atheists may argue there is some form of objective basis), but that doesn't matter either way. Excluding psychopaths, sociopaths, and the like, we are generally conditioned to oppose rape and see it as really wrong. So that's good enough reason to see it as such. Knowing the exact reason(s) only matters for the purpose of knowing why, but it is not a requirement for making such a moral judgement.
You have to really ignore all the data collected by studying and interviewing rape victims to believe that. If information came out tomorrow that suggested rape enhances the well-being of all parties involved, extending the victim's life by five years and making them happier and healthier, the question "Is rape wrong?" would be a topic worthy of discussion.
Rape is seen by many to be wrong (in the modern world) because it generally causes trauma to the victim and diminishes their quality of life, but how is that an objective standard rather than subjective? You are using an arbitrary measure of morality, not a solid mathematical/logical basis. What if you observed an ancient culture that encouraged rape of foreigners and their measure of right or wrong is not based on the well-being of foreigners? Can you give them a solid rational basis, not dependent in any way on subjective feelings, for why what they're doing is wrong?
