Comments on: Atheism and Morality http://meanderwithme.com/2007/01/24/atheism-and-morality/ Welcome to reality. If you lived here, you'd be home now. Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:40:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Fred http://meanderwithme.com/2007/01/24/atheism-and-morality/#comment-643 Fred Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:27:59 +0000 http://musings.meanderwithme.com/2007/01/atheism-and-morality/#comment-643 Mike: Your point a. is invalidated by the fact that atheists and agnostics do find meaning in their lives, or at least meaning enough to get up every morning and raise families and pursue an education and find a good career. I'm not sure if you're trying to suggest that these people are unconsciously deriving their live's meaning from God, or if you think their lives are meaningless and that they are deluding themselves. As for us just being sacks of chemicals, that's a rather cynical view. Many atheists and agnostics (not myself) do believe in the soul or something equivalent. Regardless, we are sacks of chemicals just like a Ferrari Testarossa is a pile of metal. It's what we do with those chemicals that differentiates us and makes us special. Mike:

Your point a. is invalidated by the fact that atheists and agnostics do find meaning in their lives, or at least meaning enough to get up every morning and raise families and pursue an education and find a good career. I’m not sure if you’re trying to suggest that these people are unconsciously deriving their live’s meaning from God, or if you think their lives are meaningless and that they are deluding themselves. As for us just being sacks of chemicals, that’s a rather cynical view. Many atheists and agnostics (not myself) do believe in the soul or something equivalent. Regardless, we are sacks of chemicals just like a Ferrari Testarossa is a pile of metal. It’s what we do with those chemicals that differentiates us and makes us special.

]]> By: Mike http://meanderwithme.com/2007/01/24/atheism-and-morality/#comment-642 Mike Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:40:40 +0000 http://musings.meanderwithme.com/2007/01/atheism-and-morality/#comment-642 Alli: I have no problem with anyone being agnostic or atheistic. As long as they see the implications. I am sure you realize that: a. The concept of "meaning" to our lives comes from outside of our selves. For there to be ultimate meaning to our lives, there must be something "ultimate" to extrapolate it from. Otherwise, all meaning is relative and therefore is not ... well, very meaningful to anyone but ourselves. b. If there is no God, then this physical existence is all there is. If this is all there is, then we are only the chemical interactions in our physical selves. c. Adding a and b together we come up with this corollary: Essentially, if there is no God, then we are just meaningless sacks of chemicals. Which makes me wonder how we can even care about this question. Do chemicals care? Does the acid that scars the face of a torture victim know it is scarring something? Can it possibly matter that we have global warming, if global warming is just interaction of chemicals? There can be no meaning to global warming. There can be no meaning or purpose to saving a planet. How do you save a planet? Just keep the chemicals upon it from dispersing into nothingness. But why would anyone want to save a planet, since it is just...chemicals...meaningless, random, accidentally connected chemicals. As you and I are. Actually, there is no you...there is only a random collection of accidentally connected chemicals. There is no "I"...this conversation never happened...the computer this was written on just closed many gateways of random on and off switches made of pressed silicon...one of the most plentiful chemicals in the universe. The switches mean nothing This comment never happened. Alli:

I have no problem with anyone being agnostic or atheistic. As long as they see the implications. I am sure you realize that:

a. The concept of “meaning” to our lives comes from outside of our selves. For there to be ultimate meaning to our lives, there must be something “ultimate” to extrapolate it from. Otherwise, all meaning is relative and therefore is not … well, very meaningful to anyone but ourselves.

b. If there is no God, then this physical existence is all there is. If this is all there is, then we are only the chemical interactions in our physical selves.

c. Adding a and b together we come up with this corollary: Essentially, if there is no God, then we are just meaningless sacks of chemicals.

Which makes me wonder how we can even care about this question. Do chemicals care? Does the acid that scars the face of a torture victim know it is scarring something? Can it possibly matter that we have global warming, if global warming is just interaction of chemicals? There can be no meaning to global warming. There can be no meaning or purpose to saving a planet. How do you save a planet? Just keep the chemicals upon it from dispersing into nothingness. But why would anyone want to save a planet, since it is just…chemicals…meaningless, random, accidentally connected chemicals.

As you and I are. Actually, there is no you…there is only a random collection of accidentally connected chemicals. There is no “I”…this conversation never happened…the computer this was written on just closed many gateways of random on and off switches made of pressed silicon…one of the most plentiful chemicals in the universe. The switches mean nothing

This comment never happened.

]]> By: Juno Walker http://meanderwithme.com/2007/01/24/atheism-and-morality/#comment-641 Juno Walker Thu, 25 Jan 2007 00:18:55 +0000 http://musings.meanderwithme.com/2007/01/atheism-and-morality/#comment-641 Hi Allison - I have to admit that I am secretly pleased to hear that you have gone from theism to agnosticism to possibly atheism. But regarding this post, I recently touched on a similar theme in a recent post of my own, which you can find <a href="http://daseindharma.blogspot.com/2007/01/what-have-i-learned-in-35-years.html" rel="nofollow">here.</a> My blog is basically a chronicle of my attempt to live with the knowledge that there is no God, no Free Will, no Self/soul, and no ultimate meaning or purpose to life. I'm happy with my life and my worldview, and one of the main reasons I started my blog was to show others that it's possible to live a naturalistic worldview. I'm working on a somewhat lengthy post on what I would call religious naturalism because I have to deal with the fact that I have what I can only describe as a religious impulse: the feelings of wonder and awe and mystery about existence. Hopefully I'll complete that soon, but it's more likely I'll procrastinate and publish more mundane posts :) Best, Juno Hi Allison -

I have to admit that I am secretly pleased to hear that you have gone from theism to agnosticism to possibly atheism.

But regarding this post, I recently touched on a similar theme in a recent post of my own, which you can find
here.

My blog is basically a chronicle of my attempt to live with the knowledge that there is no God, no Free Will, no Self/soul, and no ultimate meaning or purpose to life. I’m happy with my life and my worldview, and one of the main reasons I started my blog was to show others that it’s possible to live a naturalistic worldview.

I’m working on a somewhat lengthy post on what I would call religious naturalism because I have to deal with the fact that I have what I can only describe as a religious impulse: the feelings of wonder and awe and mystery about existence. Hopefully I’ll complete that soon, but it’s more likely I’ll procrastinate and publish more mundane posts :)

Best,
Juno

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