The Great SITC Debate: Dinesh D'Souza vs. Peter Singer (Excerpt)

An excerpt from the Great SITC Debate on September 13, 2010 featuring Eric Metaxas as the host and Dinesh D'Souza and Peter Singer debating on the topic "Is God the Source of Morality?"

Category:

Education

Tags:

• debate
• God
• morality
• Dinesh D'Souza
• Peter Singer
• Eric Metaxas
• Socrates in the City

[diogotomediogo]

oh thank you so much for this, will you please upload the whole debate? I really want to see it!!

[writersblock26]

Thank you for posting this, socratesinthecity.

[1empathy]

@Yekerable I suspect you do not accept the scientific theory of biological evolution. Most christians (all catholics, greek orthodox and most protestant) accept evolution (and some muslims), it is not controversial. Our morality can be expalined , by my monicker, "empathy" If you see an animal in pain (human or otherwise) you feel their distress, this; combined with language produced our morality/ethics. Please don't say the bible or quran are moral as both say infinite torture for finite crimes

[Yekerable]

I don't think athiste people understand the darwin's theory in which clearly dosen't account for morality, if your a primate how do u explain morality because in darwin's theory you don't need morality to survive in the natural selection. That is what you learn been exposed to religious environment even if your atheist.

[hcdangerfield211]

Religon is the primary moral compass for average people. It works. However, morals/ethics fit the model of Darwinian standards and achieves similar results. Because we live in a world of by definition mostly average people, most people will need an imagined moral center (religon) to guide them. Living a better life because you actually want to, will tap into the much greater scope of human potential then living a better life because your imagined moral center tells you to, or else! Sorry Dinesh

[ballersack]

@LogicalFlawDetector

Maybe if you judge it based on the style (and the subsequent cheap applause) and not the content. Singer too humble and reasoned to make an unprovable claim about where morality comes from.

[richi3mass3]

@LogicalFlawDetector: What makes you say that? I think Dinesh sets up a straw person (i.e. resets the scope of the question), and then argues (perhaps) circularly (i.e. we all have "morality", God is the only thing which could give something to everyone, therefore God gave us morality.) That's how I see it.

[Existentialisht]

I've always questioned why the fact that God is all powerful makes what he says moral to follow :p

[talkingtoothpick]

Morality is just an optimal approach at social community; do the best thing for the group and it helps you as well, a way of building a well functioning community. Its built on empathy, which other animals exhibit as well. The fact that we evolve a more complex version of it and turn aspects of it into law is in no way explained by a God.

[jormorcastan]

If a God gaves us the morality for free acording to Dinesh to what God do a need to thank, to Alha, Hitzilopoztly, to whom?