Lots of “ask the Christians” threads about, so I thought I might start one i’ve been thinking of for a while. There’s a good many threads even normally about religious people explaining how they believe the world works morally. I thought it would be fair play to reverse that… so, atheists and agnostics of the board, what is your moral system? How do you judge good and bad (if you think they exist)?
I’ll go first. I don’t believe there is a set moral standard for the universe, so really my system is pretty much a value judgement and I don’t claim it’s objective or somehow more “right” than anyone elses’ (at least in universal terms). I’m a loose utilitarian. I believe the most moral thing to do, the best thing, is that which promotes the most happiness, and likewise the least moral thing to do is that which causes the most unhappiness.
The Golden Rule, as Giles mentioned already, is a major guideline.
And any moral stance needs to be examined according to logic and compassion, in contrast to an attempt at interpreting and following centuries-old writings by fallible men who were influenced by a completely different society, knowledge and worldview.
Yes indeed: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
I don’t rob or murder and I pay my taxes.
I help the elderly cross the road and try to make people happy.
I am sad when disasters happen
I don’t need a Being to give me a confusing message (sacrifice your son on an altar / pray to me / you must have Faith for I will not reveal myself to you / those people are heretics).
I suppose I try to be pragmatic: pretty much as Giles and the others say, I’m guided by the golden rule. However, when I feel that others are not treating me correctly, I’ll respond in kind. It takes pretty much abuse to get me to that point; even my friends think it’s so hard to insult me that it’s hilarious. But when a landlord tried to cheat me a long time ago, I sued him (and won). When a guy attacked me (a long, long, long time ago), I tried to kill him (my friends pulled me off him).
But in general, I just try to be a nice guy. I’m helpful with my family, friends and neighbors; I’m honest and polite in my dealings with strangers. Along the lines of what glee said, I’m responsible for my actions and the results of my decisions.
If you are willing to treat others the way you want to be treated, you don’t need a magical sky pixie watching you to make sure you do. I am an atheist, but I am also one of the most moral people you will meet.
My moral system? Like is a whole lot easier if you don’t f*ck with other people.
Do unto others as you would… Is there an echo in here?
Anyway, the basis of the above is, to me, sheer pragmatism. The world would be a lot better if everyone did it. And yes, like Christians, we atheists sometimes fall short of the ideal. But then again, we don’t go to hell for it.
If I avoid hurting people, they will be less inclined to want to hurt me-from this solid base comes most of my morals and ethics.
I am not special-others have the same emotions and feelings that I do.
I deal with the fact that life is unfair by realizing that if it was, if we even existed it would be a hell of a lot crappier than it is now.
This is actually a really good question and quite hard to answer! If I googled, I could probably find the name of some non-theist moral system that matches mine, but I’ve never actively sought a name or category to my own set of morals.
I guess the basis of my morals is the morals that my parents taught me - be honest, be truthful, all people are equal and should be treated as such. Over time, I have reassessed some of the morals my parents taught me, for example I don’t believe people who smoke pot are ‘bad’ as my parents do.
So in a way, my morals are based on my own personal view of what is right and wrong.
“Enlightened self interest” mixed with a good dollop of compassion. That’s how I would describe my moral framework. Yeah, and I’ll chime in with the “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Essentially, I like to live in a fair, compassionate world. My leap of faith is that if I and the majority of others around me behave fairly and compassionately, that we’ll all come out better in the end.
The bitch is in the details. But that’s my overall philosophy.
I should add that I try to make this world as comfortable as possible because we’re not going to get another chance. Life is even more precious if you think that this life is all you get.
Golden rule covers a lot. Add to that the fact that I don’t want to spend time in prison or paying a fine and it covers most things.
I can feel pain both emotionally and physically. I realise that other humans life experience is basically the same as mine so I’d rather not hurt people. I understand that people’s properties are important to them and peace of mind is a very strong motivator so I leave others property alone.
It’s nice to be nice. I see no reason whatsoever why a god is needed for you to do good. In fact if the only reason you are moral is because you fear burning in hell then I’d be wary of that person.
