Atheist Morality

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nlZp5NPCnY0

This is one of those videos we all occasionally make that we don't really want to make, because it's one of those videos trying to clarify something that should be bloody obvious. That and I wasn't feeling well. So, sorry if this is low quality at all.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• atheist
• morality

[Clear404]

Most of you are thick as pig shit and keep confusing normative and metaethical claims. The moral argument for God makes a METAETHICAL claim, namely that God is presupposed by morality. It does not make a NORMATIVE moral claim, (such as that killing people is wrong because it won't maximise happiness, or can't be willed as a universal law or some such).

The latter claims are all entirely consistent with the moral argument for God and thus don't in any way challenge it. Thickies.

[dechha1981]

@Clear404

WTF are you talking about?

[Clear404]

@dechha1981 Well, take your video - you start off by saying that rape is wrong because it is wrong. Presumably by this you mean that 'wrongness' is an irreducible property. 'Wrongness' isn't something else - it is what it is. Fine. That's a metaethical position. I don't agree with it - I'm a divine command theorist (another type of metaethical position that conflicts with yours). But fine.

But then you go on to talk about teh 'causes' of our moral judgements. That's different.

[dechha1981]

@Clear404

You don't agree that rape is a bad thing?

Oh, and I might as well warn you right now; There are two things I'm probably going to block you for if this goes where I think it's going;

A) Not having a concience. People who need me to explain to them why rape is a bad thing creep me the fuck out.

B) Wasting my fucking time with stupid "philosophical" bullshit. (ESPECIALLY "I'm not saying you're evil, I'm just saying..."). At least the sociopaths are honest.

[Clear404]

@dechha1981 Well, clearly you dogmatic and can't read. Of course I fucking think rape is bad. Jesus. Where the fuck did I say ANYTHING to suggest otherwise?

Oh and go ahead and block me if you're not interested in philosophy. Philosophy is just reasoned argument you fucking idiot. If you're not interested in being able to justify your position then fuck the fuck off you fucking pompous fanatic dickhead.

[dechha1981]

@Clear404

YOU came to ME you dickhead! I can't fuck of from MY OWN CHANNEL. You can. But, since you admitted that you fully intended to waste my fucking time, and since you actually asked me nicely to block you, so be it.

Actually, I'm glad about this. Too many idiots here have wasted my time taking on the sociopath position and then claiming they concience, making them liars. It's too bad I'm about to block you, actually. Oh well.

Fuck off and die, and have a nice day.

[max2right]

A recent survey found that atheists knew significantly more about what the bible says than Christians.  These last few comments shows that true.

[MrHobiecat]

@BibleIsland using medical knowledge to detect a person has a geneic defect, and then KILLING THEM has NOTHING to do with evolution.

If a person had a genetic defect that caused them to not survive, THAT would be evolution.

You have the brain made of straw, man.

there is no such thing as an 'evolutionist'. Evolution is a fact, its a basic component of the nature of life.

[Clear404]

@dechha1981 Oh, and just to clarify the difference between a metaethical and a normative theory. A normative moral theory attempts to say what it is that all wrong acts have in common. Utilitarianism, Deontology, Virtue Ethics, pluralism - these are all normative moral theories (there are lots). A metaethical theory is a theory about what it would take for any moral belief to be 'true'. Metaethical theories are neutral on which normative moral theory is true, and vice versa.

[Clear404]

@dechha1981 Anyway, I won't ramble on any further unles you're interested. I'll just say that most of those who discuss the relationship between God and morality don't bother to take the time to properly understand the issues involved, and consequently they spend their time attacking straw men. The moral argument for God is actually very powerful, because the metaethical theory is presupposes - Divine Command Theory - is easily the most plausible of them all.

[Clear404]

@dechha1981 You say that our moral judgements are caused by our emotions, etc. Yes, perhaps. But that doesn't tell us what they are 'about'. For instance, presumably you'd say the same thing about religious beliefs - that they have this or that cause. Well, that doesn't vindicate them does it?

A causal account of how we've come to hold certain beliefs is only helpful if we first know what those beliefs are 'about'. And that's what a metaethical theory tells us.

[formless777]

The basis of morality is "don't do things to other people that you wouldn't want done to yourself". As nobody wants an undesirable sexual partner to force themselves upon them in an act of violence and humiliation, we can safely reason that rape is wrong without invoking any supernatural authority, just good old human reason.

In fact, most societies mainly agree on what is and isn't good behavior, they just weight it differently or put a slightly different spin on things.