Ethnographic Research (Help please!)

[Mister Agenda]

Most likely means Protestant Evangelical.

You asked for my denomination; I answered. "Protestant Evangelical" isn't a denomination.

It is an apt description of most churches that call themselves 'non-denominational', though. An evangelical Protestant church that is not affiliated to historical Protestant churches.

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I'd participate in your survey, btw, but I'm 30 years over the top of the age range.

[drfuzzy]

I like lists.  I'd participate but I'm way too old.

[stretch3172]

You asked for my denomination; I answered. "Protestant Evangelical" isn't a denomination.

It is an apt description of most churches that call themselves 'non-denominational', though. An evangelical Protestant church that is not affiliated to historical Protestant churches.

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I'd participate in your survey, btw, but I'm 30 years over the top of the age range.

I would really appreciate reading your thoughts! I can probably get my prof to expand the age range a bit.

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I like lists.  I'd participate but I'm way too old.

I would still love to hear your thoughts if you're interested! I'm sure they would still be helpful.

[brewer]

What specific goals other than finger pointing? I believe you want to actually know very little about atheists, besides these snippets, that you can then use to prop up your belief/agenda. Why should I assist you in this endeavor?
BTW, it's easier to ask a bad question than a thought filled one.

Hmmm, so questions about what truth is or how we should understand morality are "bad?" Fascinating. In what way exactly?

The way the questions were asked, yes, bad. You just want a sound bite.

[drfuzzy]

Eh whatever.  It's a stretch, stretch, but reading some other member's responses are kind of fun.

Preliminary Background:
What is your age?  Over 50, you young whipper-snapper
What is your current academic status (student, former student, alumnus, etc.)?  I have two Masters Degrees and a PhD
(If applicable) How far along in your studies are you?  ^^^
What is (was) your major?   Guess
Why are (were) you in college?   To get a job
What are your future plans/goals?  To not die before my cat does
Briefly describe your family background.   Raised Pentecostal, extremely strict, extreme work ethic
 
Social Structures
Describe your current relationship with your family.  My brother and I were disowned in 1988
Describe your social life.   I have some friends
Are close relationships with friends/family important? Why or why not?  Yes, humans are social creatures
Which is more important: the personal life or the professional life?  Hard to tell.  No professional life, no house. No personal life, no sanity.
 
Ontological
What is the source of power and success?  Hard work and solid logic. -- Or being born rich.  
What is the origin of the universe?  Big Bang + some physics stuff that I don't understand
What is the origin and destiny of humanity? Origin - primate evolution.  Destiny?  I hope it's to keep evolving and gaining information.  But I don't think there is a "destiny".  We will either survive or we won't.
Is there any form of spiritual dimension of reality? If so, briefly describe it.  No. But some people describe "spirituality" as simply a variation of mental therapy and meditation, so I give them a pass on that one.
Do incorporeal beings exist?  No
How do you define ‘God’?  Early humans making up an explanation for things they didn't understand.
How do you define ‘truth’?  Measurable, verifiable, replicatable, peer-reviewed data.
 
Epistemological 
How do you know what is true?  Good collaborated facts and good data from multiple sources. 
Is there an objective standard by virtue of which one can distinguish truth and falsity, and if so, why is it a reliable standard?  I'm a researcher.  I always look for studies that did the same research on different populations and came up with the same results.  
Assuming no objective truth exists, how can you correctly form and evaluate truth claims? You can't.
 
Axiology
Are morals and ethics subjective or objective?  Both. They are a cultural construct of a group of tribal apes.
How do you know right from wrong?  Some is what I was taught, some is empathy, some is logic. 
Can science explain the origin of moral values and concerns? How so?  Social science, anthropology, and psychology are the best sources I have found.
How would you describe a “good person”? A “bad person”?  Hard to define, because each person is an individual. But any individual who is supremely selfish and completely lacks empathy makes me leave the building in a hurry.
What would an “ideal society” look like?  A society based upon humanitarian and scientific values.  A society that works for equal opportunities for all of its members.  A society that values factual data and demands it from every public statement - a society without snake-oil salesmen and con artists.
Do people act purely out of self-interest?  Sometimes
What is the most important moral attribute (i.e. love, justice, equality, selflessness, etc.)? How do you define it?  I can't choose, because there is good and bad contained in every choice.  
What is mankind’s single biggest problem?  Religion
Is there a solution to this problem, and if so, what is it?  Education

[stretch3172]

Hmmm, so questions about what truth is or how we should understand morality are "bad?" Fascinating. In what way exactly?

The way the questions were asked, yes, bad. You just want a sound bite.

And what other "good" way is there to ask "how do you know what is true?", for example? I'm still not seeing a specific problem here. We can't have a productive discussion based on simplistic accusations.

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Eh whatever.  It's a stretch, stretch, but reading some other member's responses are kind of fun.

Preliminary Background:
What is your age?  Over 50, you young whipper-snapper
What is your current academic status (student, former student, alumnus, etc.)?  I have two Masters Degrees and a PhD
(If applicable) How far along in your studies are you?  ^^^
What is (was) your major?   Guess
Why are (were) you in college?   To get a job
What are your future plans/goals?  To not die before my cat does
Briefly describe your family background.   Raised Pentecostal, extremely strict, extreme work ethic
 
Social Structures
Describe your current relationship with your family.  My brother and I were disowned in 1988
Describe your social life.   I have some friends
Are close relationships with friends/family important? Why or why not?  Yes, humans are social creatures
Which is more important: the personal life or the professional life?  Hard to tell.  No professional life, no house. No personal life, no sanity.
 
Ontological
What is the source of power and success?  Hard work and solid logic. -- Or being born rich.  
What is the origin of the universe?  Big Bang + some physics stuff that I don't understand
What is the origin and destiny of humanity? Origin - primate evolution.  Destiny?  I hope it's to keep evolving and gaining information.  But I don't think there is a "destiny".  We will either survive or we won't.
Is there any form of spiritual dimension of reality? If so, briefly describe it.  No. But some people describe "spirituality" as simply a variation of mental therapy and meditation, so I give them a pass on that one.
Do incorporeal beings exist?  No
How do you define ‘God’?  Early humans making up an explanation for things they didn't understand.
How do you define ‘truth’?  Measurable, verifiable, replicatable, peer-reviewed data.
 
Epistemological 
How do you know what is true?  Good collaborated facts and good data from multiple sources. 
Is there an objective standard by virtue of which one can distinguish truth and falsity, and if so, why is it a reliable standard?  I'm a researcher.  I always look for studies that did the same research on different populations and came up with the same results.  
Assuming no objective truth exists, how can you correctly form and evaluate truth claims? You can't.
 
Axiology
Are morals and ethics subjective or objective?  Both. They are a cultural construct of a group of tribal apes.
How do you know right from wrong?  Some is what I was taught, some is empathy, some is logic. 
Can science explain the origin of moral values and concerns? How so?  Social science, anthropology, and psychology are the best sources I have found.
How would you describe a “good person”? A “bad person”?  Hard to define, because each person is an individual. But any individual who is supremely selfish and completely lacks empathy makes me leave the building in a hurry.
What would an “ideal society” look like?  A society based upon humanitarian and scientific values.  A society that works for equal opportunities for all of its members.  A society that values factual data and demands it from every public statement - a society without snake-oil salesmen and con artists.
Do people act purely out of self-interest?  Sometimes
What is the most important moral attribute (i.e. love, justice, equality, selflessness, etc.)? How do you define it?  I can't choose, because there is good and bad contained in every choice.  
What is mankind’s single biggest problem?  Religion
Is there a solution to this problem, and if so, what is it?  Education

Thank you for your help!

[Mister Agenda]

Greetings! 

I'm a master's seminary student currently writing an ethnography focusing on the worldviews of atheists and agnostics in the 18-26 age range. I must interview a number of atheists and agnostics to complete this assignment, so I would be extremely grateful to anyone who would be willing to answer some questions for me. 

If you are interested, please respond to the following list of questions (or as many as you can!) in a single post. Thank you in advance for your time and willingness to help me out with this project! 

Here goes:

What is your age?
56
What is your current academic status (student, former student, alumnus, etc.)?
Alumnus
(If applicable) How far along in your studies are you?
Graduated with a BA
What is (was) your major?
Psychology
Why are (were) you in college?
I wanted to become a psychologist
What are your future plans/goals?
Don't get fired and retire by sixty while I'm still (hopefully) able to enjoy the rest of my life
Briefly describe your family background.
Oldest of two brothers and a sister, a half-brother, three half-sisters, two step-brothers, and two step-sisters.
Social Structures
Describe your current relationship with your family.
Fairly close to my sister and brother and two of my half-sisters. I'm out with my family and all my dad talks about when I visit is religion and conspiracies, so I usually don't go to visit him more than every other year.
Describe your social life.
I founded the Freethought Society of the Midlands, and met a lot of my friends that way. Though an introvert, I am usually at an event or gathering (or two) every week. My girlfriend has lived with me since last March.
Are close relationships with friends/family important? Why or why not?
They're nice, but I haven't found them important. Filling in gaps in the family department is what friends are for. Many of my family interactions have involved being hit up for money, so the 'family is always there for you' thing usually works against me.
Which is more important: the personal life or the professional life?
Personal life. My job is okay, and someone has to do it, and occasionally I get to help people out; but my off-duty activities are more important to me. For instance, I should be attending to work tasks right now.
Ontological
What is the source of power and success?
Luck, effort, social skills, and intelligence, probably in that order most of the time.
What is the origin of the universe?
I don't know, but there are plausible natural explanations (plausible to physicists, at least). If anyone else thinks they know, they are mistaken, at best.
What is the origin and destiny of humanity?
According to the evidence, we evolved from a common ancestor with other apes to be bipedal, dexterous, lingual, smarter, and more social. Eventually humanity will no longer exist, but we've reached a point where how much longer we'll be around is at least somewhat in our control. I'm hoping our descendants will be found all over the galaxy in a few million years and that they will be kinder than us. That would be cool.
Is there any form of spiritual dimension of reality? If so, briefly describe it.
I don't know. 'Spiritual' is a very vague term. If you consider whatever the sum of our emotions, identity, memories, personalities, sense of self and agency and thoughts to be as a 'spirit' or 'soul', I can agree we have such a thing in that sense. I'd be very surprised if any of it survives brain death, I think all that is what our brains are doing, and when it stops, the 'soul process' stops too. I would be surprised if there is any 'spirit plane' our souls can visit or wind up in when we die, unless the transhumanists are right and we build our own...such a thing couldn't possibly be truly eternal, though.
Do incorporeal beings exist?
Seems highly unlikely, especially considering how much time and effort has gone into trying to prove such things exist with no success.
How do you define ‘God’?
At a minimum, a 'capital G God' would be a superhuman personal being that created the universe, preferably on purpose.
How do you define ‘truth’?
If a belief conforms to what is real, it is true. Truth isn't at odds with evidence or logic, and probably shouldn't have a 'capital T' in the middle of a sentence.
Epistemological
How do you know what is true?
The main thing is to have a rational way of determining what probably isn't true and verifying what is, so you have better odds of having beliefs that are true. You should keep your axioms to a minimum (like the reality I observe with my senses really exists, though my perception of it is incomplete and prone to error). Everyone has false beliefs of which they are unaware, but if you scrutinize a belief with skepticism and honesty and it stands up to attempts to falsify it, you've done due diligence. You can waste your life chasing perfect truth, and as imperfect beings, we have to settle for imperfection in our truths with the possible exception of sound, valid, syllogisms. I think, therefore I am, I think.
Is there an objective standard by virtue of which one can distinguish truth and falsity, and if so, why is it a reliable standard?
Evidence and logic (with emphasis on the former) are as objective as we can get. With evidence, ultimately, the universe is the standard, and whether it's reliable or not (seems to be pretty fuzzy at the Planck level), it's all the evidence we have. Logic is helpful for weeding out errors in our thinking, but you can't get anything out of it you didn't put into it.
Assuming no objective truth exists, how can you correctly form and evaluate truth claims?
We have trouble accurately determining it, but some things are the case and some things aren't, 'no objective truth' doesn't seem to be a justifiable conclusion, let alone a reasonable assumption. I am not a married bachelor. Circles aren't square. Less tautologically, the earth is roughly spheroid and is warmed by the sun, which is a star that the earth and a number of other objects orbits. Evaluate truth claims by following the evidence and making sure your thinking is not fallacious.
Axiology
Are morals and ethics subjective or objective?
Any system of reasoning requires axioms. If you accept a coupe of moral axioms, like 'human flourishing is good' and 'virtue is its own reward', moral reasoning can derive guidelines that objectively follow from that (rampant and indiscriminate assault, murder, rape, and theft are not conducive to human flourishing and should be curtailed for the benefit of society, and you're missing out on a lot of rewarding virtue, to boot; for example). It's not all or nothing though, even with objectively derived morals (there's more than one way to skin a cat). In ancient Israel, for instance, it was the custom for a surviving brother to sire an heir for his dead brother with his brother's widow. The obligation was real and you were doing your brother's widow and the memory of your brother a disservice by failing to do so...but the basis for the obligation was dependent on a fairly arbitrary cultural basis. In the modern Western world, it's not only not an obligation, it's more than a little creepy. There's no escaping the subjective element of morality, because we are beings that can only experience things subjectively. Even if you settle on some sort of objective standard, the decision to do that can only be reached subjectively. All we can do is our best, and it's wise to understand our limits.
How do you know right from wrong?
Innate moral sentiment (such as our senses of empathy, fairness, and reciprocity common to social primates) modified by experience, upbringing, and moral reasoning.
Can science explain the origin of moral values and concerns? How so?
We're a social species, and social species have rules that keep their society functioning at least well enough not to collapse; or at least those that fail to do so collapse and go extinct or become 'no longer social'. Even wolf packs have rules, though they're much more instinctive than ours. If you were the only person on earth, you'd probably come to a bad end because it's very hard for humans to live alone indefinitely, but morality would no longer apply to you without any societal context based on how our decisions affect others.
How would you describe a “good person”? A “bad person”?
A good person refrains from harming others, and is kinder than average. A bad person doesn't mind harming others if they benefit from it or if they just feel like it, and is less kind than average. Harm can take many forms, and a good person who is wise will avoid harming others in emotional ways or even helping them in ways that are counterproductive in the long run. A wise bad person will avoid suffering the consequences of the harm they cause to others, even refraining from causing harm if they don't think they can 'get away with it'.
What would an “ideal society” look like?
Probably a lot like an ideal family. The more understanding ourselves and each other and helping each other out is favored over getting ahead, getting even, and establishing social dominance, the more likely we will be to achieve a society closer to ideal.
Do people act purely out of self-interest?
As I've said elsewhere, virtue is its own reward. Being charitable is one of the most emotionally satisfying things we can do. We do what we do because we find it rewarding, whether materially, socially, intellectually, sensually, or just for the endorphins. It's called psychological egoism and it basically means no one does anything purely without benefit to themselves. Some people think that's selfishness, but I can imagine very little more creepy than someone who does good despite getting nothing at all from doing so, not even satisfaction or warm fuzzies or alleviation of guilt.
What is the most important moral attribute (i.e. love, justice, equality, selflessness, etc.)? How do you define it?
They're all important, and having them all in good measure is the foundation of moral character. They don't have to be equal in measure, there are a lot of us, we can afford to emphasize our strengths. One person may be particularly kind, another particularly fair. Maybe the starting point should be that old oath: first, do no harm.
What is mankind’s single biggest problem?
Ignorance, particularly of ourselves, particularly of our own ignorance.
Is there a solution to this problem, and if so, what is it?
It might be intractable. Right now, in the USA at least, there doesn't seem to be much demand for knowledge, let alone self knowledge. It will never happen until enough people want to take a long, hard, honest look at themselves and their beliefs and convictions and learn to be kinder to each other and themselves.

[Jenny A]

Preliminary Background:
What is your age?  55
 
What is your current academic status (student, former student, alumnus, etc.)?  Graduated 30 years go.  BA history/philosophy  JD
 
 
Why are (were) you in college?  

Because that was what the children of college educated people did.  I liked it and enjoyed being a lawyer afterwords.
 
What are your future plans/goals?  

These days I paint.  I plan to go on doing that.
 
Briefly describe your family background. 

My parents were middle class college educated protestants with working class immigrant parents.  My childhood  was steeped in religion.

 
Social Structures
Describe your current relationship with your family.

I am close to my husband and kids, also my mother.  My father is dead.
 
Describe your social life. 

Home bound mostly. But with a very close girl friend.
 
Are close relationships with friends/family important? Why or why not?

Of course.
 
Which is more important: the personal life or the professional life?

Yes
 
Ontological
 
What is the source of power and success?  

Who's power and success? And at what? Generslly, intellegence, physique, education, inherited wealth, country, country of origin,  health, talent,  and luck all play a part.
 
What is the origin of the universe? 

The last best guess is the Big Bang. 
 
What is the origin and destiny of humanity? 

Home sapiens evolved from other hominids.  Destiny is not a word I use.  I can't predict the future.  If past history is any indicator, we will go extinct sometime before sun goes nova, but probably long before that.


 
Is there any form of spiritual dimension of reality? If so, briefly describe it. 

I very much doubt it.
 
Do incorporeal beings exist? 

What exactly would an incorporial being be? Seems more than unlikely.
 
How do you define ‘God’? 

I don't.   Most religions don't either.  "I am who I am is hardly a definition."

 
How do you define ‘truth’?

Abstract or emperical?  One need only be consistent with itself, the other must be consistent with the actual world.
 
Epistemological
How do you know what is true?

Observation and experience.  I act as though I know more than I do.  Everyone does, or we'd never get from point a to point b for all the time wasted testing the bridges.
 
Is there an objective standard by virtue of which one can distinguish truth and falsity, and if so, why is it a reliable standard?

Only if the proposed truth is falsifiable.  
 
Assuming no objective truth exists, how can you correctly form and evaluate truth claims? 

Mostly I rely on past experience and  others, see note above about bridges,  If it's important I research. 
 
Axiology
Are morals and ethics subjective or objective? 

Wrong question.  Morals and ethics are valuable human constructs.  They make society work.  But they differ  across the spectrum of humankind and from individual to individual.  
 
How do you know right from wrong?

I consult social norms and my own sense of what is best.
 
Can science explain the origin of moral values and concerns? How so?


Evolution.  Also societal history.
 
How would you describe a “good person”? A “bad person”?

A good person treats others as people and not as things and attempts to better rather than worsen the lives of others. Bad is the reverse.
 
What would an “ideal society” look like?

Everyone would have equal opportunity, and would regardless of health talent or wealth live a happy and productive life with many opportunities to express themselves.
 
Do people act purely out of self-interest?

Not nearly as often as you might think.  
 
What is the most important moral attribute (i.e. love, justice, equality, selflessness, etc.)? How do you define it?

Wrong question.  All of those are important.  Love more so in interpersonal relationship, justice and equality (You can't have real justice without equality) in government. Selflessness is not necessarily always moral.  It's most useful in times of great crisis.  You forgot responsibility for others, and leaving others alone.
 
What is mankind’s single biggest problem?

Tribalism.  That is my kind against yours right or wrong.  
 
Is there a solution to this problem, and if so, what is it?

Not that I'm aware of.

[brewer]

The way the questions were asked, yes, bad. You just want a sound bite.

And what other "good" way is there to ask "how do you know what is true?", for example? I'm still not seeing a specific problem here. We can't have a productive discussion based on simplistic accusations.

You need to put the discussion of "truth" within a context. There are different truths and different ways of determining true/truths. 

This may help: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/truth/

And I'm not surprised that you don't see a problem.

[robvalue]

I'd be interested to see a definition of what a "spiritual" or "incorporeal" thing is meant to be. Here's my take on these definitions:

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I generally see people say things like "non-physical" or "immaterial". But physical and material are just other ways of saying literally exists, as opposed to abstract concepts or properties. The latter are ways of understanding or interpreting things that exist, but don't exist in their own right or have any possible impact. Something is physical/material if we could highlight it as a subsection of reality. This (presumably) means that there is theoretically some way these things could be measured, since there is something "there" to measure, but that certainly doesn't mean it's possible for humans to measure it, perhaps ever. For a being that was aware of everything that exists however, a simple function which returned 1 for existent and 0 for nonexistent would be able to "measure" it.

So to say something exists but is immaterial, non-physical, incorporeal or spiritual would be a contradiction. It generally seems to be a way of wanting something to be there, but hiding it from any possible scrutiny. It's a semantic non-gap. The only other category I can think of, for things that have some impact on reality but aren't subsections of it, are "rules of reality". These are the kind of thing we're always trying our best to model using science. If there's some fourth category that has to be created just to hide spiritual things in, then that just shows how far removed from reality it actually is.

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