Question for Atheists

[The Grand Nudger]

Hi! I've been trying for a while now I get an atheist's response to a particular line of thinking, but have thus far been unable to help anyone understand it or give a coherent thought about it. I'm hoping here is a better place to find some discussion on the matter!

Regular nest of vipers. I'm sure you'll get plenty of opinions.

If the universe is entirely material (which it must be under atheistic thinking), then everything that exists or happens is fundamentally just chemicals reacting. Chemicals, however, cannot act reasonably or morally. We can't take one test tube and say that the mixture in it is "more right" than the one in another tube. Natural laws simply dictate their behavior.

Believe we have a few atheists on the board who would love to dispute the "entirely material" portion of this. Frankly, it's simply not required to be an atheist, nor does being an atheist imply that you -must- be any manner of materialist. The second bit, well. I assume that you're wondering how someone can think of themselves as "just chemicals" so, the claim that chemicals simply cant do -this- or -that- is probably going to hit a brick wall with someone who thinks that they are, in fact "just chemicals".

Humans and their thoughts and beliefs, as parts of the universe, are merely chemicals as well. Every idea is a natural string of reactions in the brain. The reactions in one mind lead someone to be an atheist while the reactions in another mind lead to a theist. Sort of like different outcomes in two test tubes.

A little more complicated than a couple of test tubes, but yeah, sure.

On what basis then can we say that one thought or belief is more rational than another?

On the basis of what is reasonable, as defined by that system.

Dead chemistry can't be spoken of in terms of reason.

Of course they can, but why are we talking about "dead" chemicals all of a sudden?

We are all parts and products of a giant chemical universe, atheists and theists alike. How can the universe be behaving unreasonably in one place but not in another?

How can it be raining in Detroit but not Chicago?

It just is. Lines of reasoning become totally subjective since we are all slaves to our particular chemistry. But if reason is subjective, we lose any grounds we had of evaluating statements.

Hardly, of course the -products- of reason often end up being subjective. We have to plug things into reason to get anything out of it - those things will be tied very directly to us, and not always to the world around us. That's why it's so important to try and ensure that those things we plug in resemble the world beyond, and not merely the world within. GIGO

If my chemistry makes me think you are unreasonable and yours does the opposite in your brain, since no reaction can be said to be rationally superior to another, then there can be no meaningful debate. Ideas are all equally natural. Isn't that kind of a problem?

Sure, but probably a problem of your own creation, don't you think?