Question for Atheists

[Anomalocaris]

Not if you were human at birth. Humans don't have a home on teat instinct, not be able to get there under own power even if they did.

[mamamia88]

Not if you were human at birth. Humans don't have a home on teat instinct, not be able to get there under own power even if they did.

alright maybe not exactly from birth but you get my point. If we had no innate morals whatsoever I seriously doubt we would have made it this far without blowing up the entire world. still might happen but not yet

[Minimalist]

Humans don't have a home on teat instinct,

I did.

[Anomalocaris]

But gave it up due to frustration? :p

[Minimalist]

Gets too expensive......

[GANIMEDE]

Hey, I'm a christian who's simply just wondering what atheists think about the subject of morality. Where atheists believe that their moral values originate from?

The concept of Morality comes from the need for Humans to form communities. Moral behavior is the act of postponing ones own selfish immediate needs and desires and the willingnes to help others in need. It is a set of rules by which indivuals gain trust and respect from other members of their community because of their willingness to live within their communty in harmony with others. Therefore, Moral Behavior is any behavior wich respects the privacy, security and wellbeing of others. It is very simple and needs neither "Diety" nor "Devine Source". The concept of moral behavior was around for thousands of years before the emergence Judeo-Christian-Islam.

Morality is plain common sense wherever and whenever people live in close proximity to eachother. Moral behavior is what keeps and kept ancient socities functioning properly.

We know religious communities are formed soley to "bring moral people together", and religions have a soley communal function, HOWEVER, Rip-Roaring religiosity is not a form of moral behavior. The laying out of fanatical and restrictive sets of rules and enforcing them by cruel and sadistic methods, interferes with social harmony. Fanatical puritanism described as "Gods Laws" cater only to a very small power-elite who are intent on forcing their narrow views upon the wills and lives of the community majority. Immoral "Witch Hunting" is a commonplace among the worshipers of Monotheistic, Intollerant, Venge-Thirsty, Monolithic Religions, see: "Judeo-Christian-Islam".

All "Gods" are the creation of human imagination and soley serve the needs of their inventors.

[Kromoh]

I believe there are only two coherent views on Morality:

1) Basing on empathy. There is no more reason for me to care about myself than there is to care about others. I must do to others that which I think be beneficial for them, and expect the same in return. We must cooperate if we desire to form a fruitful society.

2) Basing on apathy. There is no reason to care about others, but to the others, I'm an 'other' - thus there is no reason to care about myself either. Humans, along with other animals, myself included, are just a bunch of self-replicating matter. Emotions are just instincts programmed on the brain. Morality matters not - just as breathing matters not.

I've been tending to the second one lately.

I also think that caring about oneself and not about others is frequent in humans due to how human instincts work, but if taken rationaly, that view is not coherent.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

I believe there are only two coherent views on Morality:

1) Basing on empathy. There is no more reason for me to care about myself than there is to care about others. I must do to others that which I think be beneficial for them, and expect the same in return. We must cooperate if we desire to form a fruitful society.

2) Basing on apathy. There is no reason to care about others, but to the others, I'm an 'other' - thus there is no reason to care about myself either. Humans, along with other animals, myself included, are just a bunch of self-replicating matter. Emotions are just instincts programmed on the brain. Morality matters not - just as breathing matters not.

I've been tending to the second one lately.

I also think that caring about oneself and not about others is frequent in humans due to how human instincts work, but if taken rationaly, that view is not coherent.

Not sure I understand your argument.


My position: The base of all morality is self interest,which is instinctive, not rational. The basis is pragmatism. Yes, emotions are a- rational,either instinctive,or in specific cases,a conditioned reflex.

As a philosophical position this is called "Egoism" divided into ethical and rational egoism together with psychological egoism.


The Wiki articles linked below are worth a glance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egoism

[Kromoh]

padraic, I don't think what you're saying is morality - much to the contrary. Morality and ethics are like a reasoned explanation as to why one should not have only self-interest in mind, searching for their own benefit at whatever cost. To act according to ethics just because they're socially consented is actually to act antiethically. However, if it is your world view that you should care only about yourself, alright, but you're not to be considered an ethical person.

Take the Kamikaze for example. They weren't doing it for personal gain, nor for recognition (another form of personal gain), they were doing it for another gain, in this case what they thought to be a greater gain than their own gain.

[Edwardo Piet]

I may be a psychological egoist in the sense that I consider all interest must be self-interest because it is only our individual selves that are interested. If I care about others it is because I myself care about them and so that is still self-interest.

I don't care for ethical egoism though. I try to treat others no better or worse than myself by default, and then I lower or higher the priority on other particular individuals (some more than others, some less) and on myself based on other conditions that I calculate afterwards.

As for rationality, in one sense I believe everything is rational in the sense of logical, there is no such thing as an illogical or irrational universe....

On the other hand, if we are to say that a mind can only be considered "rational" if emotions don't interfere with judgement, then I believe all judgement is ultimately irrational (in a different sense).