Some questions for you

[Joz]

Hi guys, I am a Christian and I like to compare worldviews with atheists/other religions etc. If you're up for it I have some questions for you, I promise these are not so I can preach or assert irrational beliefs, I've read the forum rules for theists 
Also I am not trying to catch anyone out, I am a thinker and I just genuinely want to know what you think about these things too.

1. What is morality? Do good and evil exist?

2. Presuming that we are highly evolved biological machines whose main motivation is to survive and adapt, why, in societies in general, is there such a collective fixation with love? By this I mean the romantic love expressed in movies, pop music etc. In many movies there seems to be one story, that is, there is a hero, things go bad, the hero finds love, the hero fights for love, the bad is defeated, the hero wins the love. Why is this story so deeply ingrained in our collective subconsciousness? 

3. Why does justice matter to each of us? If someone harms us or someone we love, we want them to pay the consequences. But why should there be consequences for our actions? That would imply judgement and an judge. What if the person that harmed us was merely executing their right to survival of the fittest?

[Wyrd of Gawd]

The bottom line is that might makes right. It's not a crime (or sin) until someone smacks you upside the head for breaking one of his favorite rules without his approval.

[Jesster]

1. What is morality? Do good and evil exist?

Morality is a social concept. A group of people with a shared sense of good morality can better thrive together. Good and evil aren't actual things, but people often use those labels to describe things.

2. Presuming that we are highly evolved biological machines whose main motivation is to survive and adapt, why, in societies in general, is there such a collective fixation with love? By this I mean the romantic love expressed in movies, pop music etc. In many movies there seems to be one story, that is, there is a hero, things go bad, the hero finds love, the hero fights for love, the bad is defeated, the hero wins the love. Why is this story so deeply ingrained in our collective subconsciousness? 

You'd get a better response from a biologist, and I am not one, but there are chemical releases in the body that can be triggered to affect our emotions. It's very useful for leading us to reproduction, which is why it has become so prominent. We talk and write about it to exploit this mechanic for other purposes because it feels good.

Not romantic, I know, but the truth doesn't have to be.

3. Why does justice matter to each of us? If someone harms us or someone we love, we want them to pay the consequences. But why should there be consequences for our actions? That would imply judgement and an judge. What if the person that harmed us was merely executing their right to survival of the fittest?

See my response on morality. It's not always about the individual. Morality matters to the prosperity of groups of people. While the individual still matters in this group, a good shared moral system that includes things like justice is utilizing methods to balance the two.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

1. What is morality? Do good and evil exist?

A. Morality is 'right' behavior, 'right' being defined as the mores of a particular society. This is why not all cultures share the same morality. By way of example, a Roman family of the Republic and early Empire who exposes a deformed child would be judged moral. This is not the case in New Zealand of the current day.

B. Yes, good and evil exist, but only in terms relative to each other. A commonly used example is theft. Stealing food from a hungry child would pretty generally be considered an evil act, why stealing a loaf from a bakery to feed a hungry child would not.

2. Presuming that we are highly evolved biological machines whose main motivation is to survive and adapt, why, in societies in general, is there such a collective fixation with love? By this I mean the romantic love expressed in movies, pop music etc. In many movies there seems to be one story, that is, there is a hero, things go bad, the hero finds love, the hero fights for love, the bad is defeated, the hero wins the love. Why is this story so deeply ingrained in our collective subconsciousness?

Primarily because romantic love is a survival adaptation for human beings. Given the relatively long gestations and maturation periods that human beings have to deal with, emotional attachment is fairly important for the survival of offspring.

3. Why does justice matter to each of us? If someone harms us or someone we love, we want them to pay the consequences. But why should there be consequences for our actions? That would imply judgement and an judge. What if the person that harmed us was merely executing their right to survival of the fittest?

You're misusing the term 'survival of the fittest', but I'll get back to that. Justice is important because human beings are society animals. If there were not consequences for harming other people, we would not survive. Thus, judgement and judges are necessary components of human society. And 'survival of the fittest' is better expressed as 'possessing traits best suited to a survival in a particular environment'. If I went about killing everyone I met, eventually I'm going to run across someone better at killing than I am. This is hardly a trait beneficial to my personal survival, and certainly inimical to the survival of the society of which I'm a part.

Boru

[ignoramus]

These "feelings" and emotions have been around in our native aborigines for 50,000 years!

(They're still waiting for Jesus to show up ...)

Apparently if you're not from the middle east, you're not important?

[Angrboda]

Hi guys, I am a Christian and I like to compare worldviews with atheists/other religions etc. If you're up for it I have some questions for you, I promise these are not so I can preach or assert irrational beliefs, I've read the forum rules for theists 
Also I am not trying to catch anyone out, I am a thinker and I just genuinely want to know what you think about these things too.

1. What is morality? Do good and evil exist?

I think you probably mean to ask what is the basis of morality. That's a question to which there are many answers, none of them definitive or conclusive. Typically, Christians assert that the mandates of what is and is not moral come from God, or are simply a part of His nature. Similarly, many atheists believe that morals and morality reflect our nature as evolved social beings. They believe that morals are a response to pressures to survive, that they represent an instinctual response to certain kinds of questions which are not answered by rational responses nor surface drives toward survival. The moral is "the group response" to these questions.

2. Presuming that we are highly evolved biological machines whose main motivation is to survive and adapt, why, in societies in general, is there such a collective fixation with love? By this I mean the romantic love expressed in movies, pop music etc. In many movies there seems to be one story, that is, there is a hero, things go bad, the hero finds love, the hero fights for love, the bad is defeated, the hero wins the love. Why is this story so deeply ingrained in our collective subconsciousness? 

Romantic love is a relatively recent arrival in terms of human history. Before that was pair bonding and marriage. Regardless of the form it takes, the drive to pair up and mate serves several purposes. First, it provides a context for sexual activity. Second, it provides males with an ability to ensure that their resources go only to offspring of their mating. And finally, because the child is dependent upon the parents for a significant period after birth, it provides a mechanism for ensuring that both parents contribute to the upbringing of offspring.

3. Why does justice matter to each of us? If someone harms us or someone we love, we want them to pay the consequences. But why should there be consequences for our actions? That would imply judgement and an judge. What if the person that harmed us was merely executing their right to survival of the fittest?

Justice is a part of our moral response, addressed above. The usual judgement and judge considered is society. Societies reserve the right to punish its members who violate the rules. If you were to find yourself in a remote island with no legal authority in place, then actions might very well go by without consequence. (The anthropological data on this is not clear cut. Even groups with no law may find themselves banding together to oppose someone regularly taking advantage of others. Where does our concept of a champion come from?) And there is no such thing as a right to survival of the fittest.

[Whateverist]

Hi guys, I am a Christian and I like to compare worldviews with atheists/other religions etc. If you're up for it I have some questions for you, I promise these are not so I can preach or assert irrational beliefs, I've read the forum rules for theists 
Also I am not trying to catch anyone out, I am a thinker and I just genuinely want to know what you think about these things too.

1. What is morality? Do good and evil exist?

I don't think good or evil exist in themselves. Good isn't a force and neither is evil. Acts can have moral consequences. Treating others in such a way as to inflict harm usually would be called bad while acting for the benefit of the general community or in ways that show consideration for others would be called good. Frankly I prefer the words "pro-social" and "anti-social" though I don't mind using good and bad for them. (I assume you realize that empathy and altruism are arise with our species (and others) naturally, no god required.)

Quid quo pro, Clarice. Do you think Good and Evil are something in themselves apart from particular acts? Do you think they are forces or that demigods of some kind (think angels and demons) promote either good or evil?

2. Presuming that we are highly evolved biological machines whose main motivation is to survive and adapt, why, in societies in general, is there such a collective fixation with love? By this I mean the romantic love expressed in movies, pop music etc. In many movies there seems to be one story, that is, there is a hero, things go bad, the hero finds love, the hero fights for love, the bad is defeated, the hero wins the love. Why is this story so deeply ingrained in our collective subconsciousness?

It is just part of human nature, probably an expression of our adaption as a species to cooperative living along with a generous dash of the sex drive.

 

3. Why does justice matter to each of us? If someone harms us or someone we love, we want them to pay the consequences. But why should there be consequences for our actions? That would imply judgement and an judge. What if the person that harmed us was merely executing their right to survival of the fittest?

In the lack of any sort of divine justice, what else are you going to do? Obviously people can act anti-socially, even atheists. This is a social construct.


Welcome aboard. Hope you enjoy your time here.

[Minimalist]

What if the person that harmed us was merely executing their right to survival of the fittest?

Or....suppose 'god' tells you to because he caught them working on the sabbath?

Observe the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Whoever profanes it must be put to death. If anyone does work on it, that person must be cut off from his people.

Ex 31:14

Seems fair, huh?

[Shell B]

1. What is morality? Do good and evil exist?

Morality is a metric by which we measure what we think our good and bad behaviors. Individual morals are quite complex and heavily influenced by life experiences. And, yes. Good and evil exist and are entirely subjective.

Presuming that we are highly evolved biological machines whose main motivation is to survive and adapt, why, in societies in general, is there such a collective fixation with love?

I'm not a Sociologist, and that's a very complicated question. However, I feel like love is beneficial. It keeps you close to a group, which is ideal for survival.

By this I mean the romantic love expressed in movies, pop music etc. In many movies there seems to be one story, that is, there is a hero, things go bad, the hero finds love, the hero fights for love, the bad is defeated, the hero wins the love. Why is this story so deeply ingrained in our collective subconsciousness?

That's just entertainment. You might as well ask why people are obsessed with football. It passes the time because we are capable enough to have lots of spare time. 

Why does justice matter to each of us?

Does it matter to each of us?

If someone harms us or someone we love, we want them to pay the consequences.

Naturally.

But why should there be consequences for our actions?

It's better for survival of the society, which is good for survival of individuals.

That would imply judgement and an judge.

Yeah. They wear black robes.

What if the person that harmed us was merely executing their right to survival of the fittest?

Survival of the fittest isn't a right. It's something that happens naturally.

[paulpablo]

Hi guys, I am a Christian and I like to compare worldviews with atheists/other religions etc. If you're up for it I have some questions for you, I promise these are not so I can preach or assert irrational beliefs, I've read the forum rules for theists 
Also I am not trying to catch anyone out, I am a thinker and I just genuinely want to know what you think about these things too.

1. What is morality? Do good and evil exist?

2. Presuming that we are highly evolved biological machines whose main motivation is to survive and adapt, why, in societies in general, is there such a collective fixation with love? By this I mean the romantic love expressed in movies, pop music etc. In many movies there seems to be one story, that is, there is a hero, things go bad, the hero finds love, the hero fights for love, the bad is defeated, the hero wins the love. Why is this story so deeply ingrained in our collective subconsciousness? 

3. Why does justice matter to each of us? If someone harms us or someone we love, we want them to pay the consequences. But why should there be consequences for our actions? That would imply judgement and an judge. What if the person that harmed us was merely executing their right to survival of the fittest?

1
From an atheist perspective the opinion varies.
Some people believe in universall preferable behavior.  Others believe morality is entirely subjective.  Personally I try and stick to my own rules, a lot of my rules are based on other people's rules though, on ethics taught to me by family and associates or learning by example.
I don't know if good and evil exist but I have a feeling that belief in good and evil might contribute to a society that's relatively nice to live in.  So if I had to lean one way I'd lean towards that belief.

2
Why would there not be a fixation with love?  We're not machines, we're evolved as social animals.  Love, heroics, being the hero of the tribe.  We have those things because we're evolved social animals.

3
I personally as an atheist believe in judgement.  I judge people.  I don't understand the bit where you say "Consequences for actions would imply there's a judge."  Yeh there would.  But I see no contradiction in having judgement and a lack of belief in God.

If someone assaults me in an effort to show their superior fitness I'll use the power of government violence against them as a display of my superior fitness and call the police.  They'll probably get fired from whatever job they had if they have one, give up at least some resources of some sort and it'll reduce their value as a sexual mate.  We have governments who usually have some kind of monopoly on violence because we're a very social intelligent ape with a hiarachy of dominance.
Sometimes the police can't do anything so you have the choice of either running the person over in your car or just letting it go.