The God Delusion and Morality

The question to be asked concerning morality and God is whether a moral law is possible in a purely material, Godless reality. Atheists who maintain the existence of right and wrong cannot (at least in my experience) explain the possibility of such a moral law. This is true of Richard Dawkins.
In The God Delusion, he merely explains one theory as to why we tend towards certain behaviors, but this does not explain why we ought to behave in such ways. It does not explain the possibility of a moral law or how we can know what is in accordance with such a law.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• God
• morality
• Richard
• Dawkins
• delusion
• law
• right
• wrong
• evolution
• materialism

[threechamberedpeanut]

Why do you need to have a universal law? you don't need one to be a moral person. You don't need to be told by any code not to rape people. You don't rape people because you would feel bad afterwards. Pretty simple.

morality is a combination of sympathy (which evolved), reputation (you're more successful if people think you're a good person), and a need for a structured society. These things are what oblige you. It's not like there's any rules written into the universe for how we should act.

[MilesVitae]

By the very assertion that is in fact wrong to rape, you are assuming a universal moral law. By the very assumption that we can be considered moral or immoral, good or bad, you assume the existence of a universal, objective standard.

Perhaps you are right and morality, as defined as the system of behavior we generally adhere to, did evolve, etc. But that does not explain that we are obliged by such a system.

[MilesVitae]

You say I don't rape people because I would feel bad afterward. What does this prove? Ought I to, in fact, feel bad? Ought I to feel guilty, to feel that I have in fact done something which is bad? What if I don't feel bad, or I do it anyway? Does my sense that something is wrong, something I should not do or should not have done, actually reflect reality, or is it merely some kind of illusion in my own mind which has no real meaning?

[123sambrose]

What do you mean by moral law? Sounds as make believe as talking snakes in a magic garden. Dawkins actually does explain it very simply. It's a shame you couldn't pick up on it. I guess the whole 'faith' thing gets in the way.

[habdulkh]

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[visvaldisX]

I'm an atheist.

Let''s suppose that a god exists and has formulated morals. So what? The christians violate morals constantly and yet insist they are always innocent and being victimized.

Maybe practical moral laws can be formulated and utilized by self-examination - something christians refuse to do.

[pilgrimpater]

The bottom line is that there is not one single act of morality that a Theist adheres to that an Atheist cannot. Of course we have address the question of where each group gets it's morals from. For the Atheist it is easy. We have evolved as social animals (maybe with some trial and error) to adhere by rules that benedit individuals and hence the group. The Theist on the other hand relies on god(s). Unfortunately, no Theist has come up with a specific and unambiguous set of moral laws.

[jsabadojr]

God is the main author of morality because He has all the intelligences in the Universe combine. We came from him and He is our literal heavenly father.

[msizer]

Absolutely morality exists independent of any concept of god. Human moral judgments are made unconciously, while moral justifications are made by concious express principles. Also our emotions create biases to objective moral deliberations. Universal moral beliefs can be justified on the principle that all concious beings wish not to suffer (or wish to flourish), therefore to cause harm to a concious being is universally wrong.

[happyhappy85]

You're talking crap kid. How did god get his moral law? Whatever answer you come up with, that' how we got it.

[mindprism]

-- why we are obliged to perform or avoid certain behavior, or how obligation can even exist

The only thing you can do to a free man is kill him.

Your not obliged to do anything. I cannot even imagine what you really mean by that term in this context.

I guess, if you want others to treat you like a human being (as opposed to a monster) -- your obliged to act like one.

Boiling it down, your 'obligation' is to your genes. Immoral behavior reduces your reproductive potential.

[mindprism]

-- my objection is that it does not explain why we ought to behave in such ways

The machine is always right, it has been honed by millions of years of evolution towards the best 'diplomatic' balance to optimize its reproduction.

We are not individuals, we are individuals AMONGST individuals.

This is why 'crime' for the most part, does not 'pay'.

Much like gambling, the odds favor the house. That is why we 'should' (be moral), you see?

It pays.

[cms271828]

What the hell has god got to do with morality?

This is an insane video, can't stand this crap.