What is morality/good/evil to an atheist?

[ObamaChristian]

Well? Feel free to define them as you wish.

 

[bhsmte]

Well? Feel free to define them as you wish.

Depends on the individual with atheists and it depends on the individual with Christians.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Well? Feel free to define them as you wish.

You do realize not all atheists agree on this. Therefore any answers we may give are our own...not in any way representative of atheism.
To answer your title, they are opinions. Judgements we make about the actions of people based upon certain values we have and values that are forced upon us by circumstance.

 

[Paradoxum]

1) Morality is partly a way of acting.
2) Morality is a universal good or bad, that applies to all people.
3) A universal good or bad, that applies to all people, would be considering the subjective good or bad for all individuals equally.
(eg: My wish not to die is equal to your wish not to die).

4) One of the most important parts of this morality would be respecting peoples choices over their sphere of sovereignty (eg: It is their choice what they do with their body and mind... this would disallow things like murder, rape, and assault).

Evil would be a severe violation of the above. Good would be helping people.

 

[bhsmte]

You do realize not all atheists agree on this. Therefore any answers we may give are our own...not in any way representative of atheism.
To answer your title, they are opinions. Judgements we make about the actions of people based upon certain values we have and values that are forced upon us by circumstance.

I think this is another OP that assumes; all atheists are the same, think the same and obviously have the same morality.

You would think we could get past this by now, but I guess not.

 

[Tinker Grey]

Morality is what a member of a species calls what an outside observer merely calls behavior of that species.

As members of social species, we argue about whether it is objective or subjective as if we could resist our breeding. Those that did not pick up the desired traits and fail to fake it are often punished.

 

[Hetta]

Well? Feel free to define them as you wish.

IJWTS that there have been countless threads on this topic already. If I were an atheist, I would want to know why you are asking this question .. again? What purpose does it serve? And what is your definition of morality/good/evil, because the wording of this thread suggests that Christians have it all sewn up. Heads up, we don't.

 

[KnowtheSilence]

Well? Feel free to define them as you wish.

Morality: examines what things are good, what things are evil, and why.

Good: things that encourage human flourishing, happiness, and empowerment.

Evil: things the discourage human flourishing, happiness, and empowerment.

 

[Cute Tink]

Morality: views on what is good, evil or neither.

Good: generally, that which helps without unnecessary harm
Evil: generally, that which harms, especially when not necessary
Neutral: generally, that which does not help nor harm

 

[quatona]

Well? Feel free to define them as you wish.

"Morality": The attempt to form an opinion about the quality of actions by looking at all their possible short and long term consequences and effects - rather than your immediate desire.
"Good" and "bad": the extremes on the underlying scale.
"Evil" is not in my active vocabulary.

Of course, these are just my personal statements. They aren´t meant to be made on behalf of atheism (or to be connected to my lack of belief in gods) - since atheism isn´t about morality or moral questions.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Subjective opinions regarding what people ought or ought not do.

 

[ObamaChristian]

I think this is another OP that assumes; all atheists are the same, think the same and obviously have the same morality.

You would think we could get past this by now, but I guess not.

Obviously, when I put "define them as you wish" I'm expecting a variety of answers.

 

[bhsmte]

Obviously, when I put "define them as you wish" I'm expecting a variety of answers.

Why are you only interested in what atheists think?

 

[ObamaChristian]

Why are you only interested in what atheists think?

I want to know what they believe to be the origin of their morality

I assume, perhaps I'm wrong, that most religious people would stem their morality from the various commands of their religion.
I don't need to have a bunch of Christians quoting what Jesus said when I already know.

The way I see it, if morality doesn't stem from God, there are a few ways to answer this.

1) I don't know where morality stems from
2) No such thing as good and evil, only practical outcomes that benefit the species and hence we label them as good; one's that don't, are evil
3) All subjective beliefs that are shared traits within a species that have survived.

I have always thought the ideas or very the concept of good vs evil, stem from religion because I don't think science would ever label anything as good or evil, but rather in their details.

So I'm interested in the connection and the labeling of good and evil by people who don't believe in God.
I can speculate what atheists might believe morality to derive from, or I can ask them, so I choose the latter, but since you asked, I speculated some in this response.

 

[bhsmte]

I want to know what they believe to be the origin of their morality

I assume, perhaps I'm wrong, that most religious people would stem their morality from the various commands of their religion.
I don't need to have a bunch of Christians quoting what Jesus said when I already know.

The way I see it, if morality doesn't stem from God, there are a few ways to answer this.

1) I don't know where morality stems from
2) No such thing as good and evil, only practical outcomes that benefit the species and hence we label them as good; one's that don't, are evil
3) All subjective beliefs that are shared traits within a species that have survived.

I have always thought the ideas or very the concept of good vs evil, stem from religion because I don't think science would ever label anything as good or evil, but rather in their details.

So I'm interested in the connection and the labeling of good and evil by people who don't believe in God.
I can speculate what atheists might believe morality to derive from, or I can ask them, so I choose the latter, but since you asked, I speculated some in this response.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...rWnU3UZTlKtuKsmcg&sig2=HUqFqdKmm7MumGg7HK1PwA

 

[Eudaimonist]

Well? Feel free to define them as you wish.

In my own words:

Morality: a code of values.

Good: that which promotes the flourishing of individuals.

Evil: that which impedes or destroys the flourishing of individuals.

To put that another way:

All that which is proper to the life of a rational being is the good; all that which destroys it is the evil.
-- Ayn Rand


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Eudaimonist]

I want to know what they believe to be the origin of their morality

You only asked for definitions. Why didn't you ask about origins?

1) I don't know where morality stems from
2) No such thing as good and evil, only practical outcomes that benefit the species and hence we label them as good; one's that don't, are evil
3) All subjective beliefs that are shared traits within a species that have survived.

4) Good is what is objectively beneficial to a living being. Evil is what is objectively harmful to a living being. The "origin" of good and evil has to do with the nature of living beings. Since the existence and development of living beings depends on courses of action appropriate to their natures, living beings have needs that can only be met by those courses of action. The good and evil of human individuals is determined by human nature and the circumstances in which they find themselves.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[jayem]

The good and evil of human individuals is determined by human nature and the circumstances in which they find themselves.

Correct. With emphasis on circumstances. The most significant of which is that we are social creatures. Actions which are objectively beneficial to an individual being may not benefit a society of beings.

Concepts of good and evil are really only relevant for a social species. Suppose humans evolved like giant pandas, living almost completely solitary lives, with intraspecies contact limited to a mating season of only a few days a year. A moral code, if it existed at all, would be in an enormously simplified form. There also wouldn't be anything that could be called civilization. And there sure wouldn't be billions of us alive.

 

[abdAlSalam]

Morality is an emergent property of societal as well as biological evolution. Ideas of morality also arise from material conditions (when one is prosperous, a thing that is good is different from when one is not prosperous, i.e. theft for survival, acquisition of wealth, etc.).

The question of what constitutes 'good' and 'evil' are not, for me, easily defined. One thing that I find in most circumstances to be evil (for instance, violence) can in some situations be good, and vice versa. What matters more than these labels is intent as well as method of action. These have their own criteria for good and evil as well, and if I am honest with myself, my perception of what is good and what is evil is wholly a slave to my own cognitive biases.

 

[Gladius]

Whatever my parents told me it is, same as for 95% of the Christians/Jews/Hindus/Scientologists on the planet.

I also refer to the laws of my country.