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jdbob
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: Jan 05, 2006
Age: 52
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Location: John Day, Oregon
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Bland
Phoenix
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Location: USA
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 Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:29 pm Post subject: Atheist's View of Life |
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Well, I am glad that Sudhir Jain is a nice atheist, subcribing to all of the religious virtues and ideals while denying the author of them.
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"Honey, would you buy me some boobles for my 40th b-day?" "No way, they're too expensive. Your own baubles will have to do."
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jdbob
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: Jan 05, 2006
Age: 52
Posts: 197
Location: John Day, Oregon
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 12:52 am Post subject: |
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| I think the point is that you don't need an imaginary friend to be nice. Likewise, just because you have an imaginary friend doesn't automatically make you nice. |
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Nomaken
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Joined: Jun 10, 2005
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Location: 31726 Windsor, Garden City, Michigan, 48135
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 12:55 am Post subject: |
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Right. Niceness hinges on one key element: Caffiene. Yup.
.... Sorry...
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And as always, these are simply my worthless opinions.
My body is a channel that translates energy from the universe into happiness.
I either express information, or consume it. I am debating which to do right now.
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Emettman
Microferroequinologist
Joined: Dec 19, 2005
Posts: 1027
Location: Suffolk, UK
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 3:17 pm Post subject: Re: Atheist's View of Life |
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| Bland wrote: | | Well, I am glad that Sudhir Jain is a nice atheist, subcribing to all of the religious virtues and ideals while denying the author of them. |
Yes, getting universal values out of atheism is not as easy as he makes out. And the "golden rule" and it's variants are not present in "all religions" as he affirms. Nothing like it.
A humanist difficulty: How do you derive "ought" from "is"?
A theist difficulty: the awful state of the world. "If good, not God, if God, not good." |
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Bland
Phoenix
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:29 pm Post subject: An atheists view of life in progress |
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If all I had to go on was "social norms" I wouldn't even bother to play the game.
_________________
"Honey, would you buy me some boobles for my 40th b-day?" "No way, they're too expensive. Your own baubles will have to do."
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Mithrandir
Phoenix
Joined: Oct 19, 2004
Age: 22
Posts: 608
Location: Victoria, BC Canada
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| Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:20 am Post subject: Re: Atheist's View of Life |
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| Emettman wrote: | | Bland wrote: | | Well, I am glad that Sudhir Jain is a nice atheist, subcribing to all of the religious virtues and ideals while denying the author of them. |
Yes, getting universal values out of atheism is not as easy as he makes out. And the "golden rule" and it's variants are not present in "all religions" as he affirms. Nothing like it.
A humanist difficulty: How do you derive "ought" from "is"?
A theist difficulty: the awful state of the world. "If good, not God, if God, not good." |
It is easy, ethical egoism.
For those who think I am an ethical egoist, I have a question for you 
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Music is the language of the world.
Math is the language of the universe. |
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Postperson
The Daughter of Indifference
Joined: Jul 10, 2004
Age: 51
Posts: 2904
Location: Uz
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| Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:35 am Post subject: |
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I have a question for you.
What is the difference between 'ethical egotism' and being a middle class do-gooder?
I know every middle class do-gooder I've met wildly overrates their own goodness and niceness. But that's what's so appealing about it I spose, there is no external authority on whether one is good or nice, it's only one's own opinion that matters.
I think atheists also underestimate how much time and brain power they have to use making moral judgements over almost every little thing in their lives. I get tired just thinking about it. There's also a vague fear that there might be an afterlife or a judgement behind the secular do-gooder's actions: like they hope they've got it all covered just in case there might be a god, they hope they've earned enuf points in a secular way to get them into 'heaven. They're wrong. |
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Mithrandir
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Age: 22
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Location: Victoria, BC Canada
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| Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:49 am Post subject: |
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| Postperson wrote: | I have a question for you.
What is the difference between 'ethical egotism' and being a middle class do-gooder?
I know every middle class do-gooder I've met wildly overrates their own goodness and niceness. But that's what's so appealing about it I spose, there is no external authority on whether one is good or nice, it's only one's own opinion that matters.
I think atheists also underestimate how much time and brain power they have to use making moral judgements over almost every little thing in their lives. I get tired just thinking about it. There's also a vague fear that there might be an afterlife or a judgement behind the secular do-gooder's actions: like they hope they've got it all covered just in case there might be a god, they hope they've earned enuf points in a secular way to get them into 'heaven. They're wrong. |
Unless there is no "heaven."
Except I do not know for sure, ask someone who does know.
What about Reincarnation?
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Music is the language of the world.
Math is the language of the universe. |
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Bland
Phoenix
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Joined: Jan 03, 2006
Posts: 1430
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:33 pm Post subject: An Atheist's View of Life in Progress |
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I think there's a big difference in doing good out of fear and doing good out of genuine concern for others. But the very fact that we're talking about good brings us to the real question, Where (or from whom) do we get our values of good and evil?
_________________
"Honey, would you buy me some boobles for my 40th b-day?" "No way, they're too expensive. Your own baubles will have to do."
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