Atheist Morality
Information
The purpose of this group is to discuss morality from all points of view: biological, evolutionary, philosophical. Specific moral questions are also encouraged: if you have a moral question for us atheists, feel free to post it here.
Website: http://www.thinkatheist.com/group/atheistmorality
Location: A Planet Near and Dear
Members: 207
Latest Activity: May 13
Where did morality come from?
While it is indeed possible that some people may need religion in order to be moral, this is a scary thought: their morality has not been reasoned or felt in their gut, it was ordered from above.
Human beings have had moral laws and codes for thousands and thousands of years before religion was ever invented, at least in an organized form. Human beings around the globe, from many religious backgrounds, have pretty much the same basic set of rules, starting with the Golden Rule. Why? Because our moral sense comes from the evolution of our brains and the need to live as a social species, avoiding conflict and increasing cooperation. Our moral sense is based on our emotions: it feels good to help others, and it feels bad to harm others.
The scientific study of human nature has naturally lead to the scientific study of human morality. A good start if you're new to this fascinating and important subject is The New Science of Morality, from Edge.org.
ONGOING DISCUSSIONS
The Video Thread
The Reading List
The Moral Repository
Exercises in Moral Dilemmas
ONLINE TESTS
These are academic tests designed to probe our moral sense, moral cognition, and what drives our moral decisions and judgments. They are fun, they will tell you a lot about yourself, and you'll be helping researchers add to their current data.
YourMorals.org (Jonathan Haidt's group and collaborators)
The Moral Sense Test (Joshua Greene-Harvard University)
Discussion Forum
Frans de Waal's Bottom-Up Morality: We're Not Good Because Of God
Started by Dallas the Phallus. Last reply by Tom Sarbeck Apr 22. 26 Replies 2 Likes
In a book coming out next week called The Bonobo and the…Continue
Why a lack of empathy is the root of all evil
Started by Dallas the Phallus. Last reply by Tom Sarbeck Apr 7, 2012. 8 Replies 0 Likes
Why a lack of empathy is the root of all evil From casual violence to genocide, acts of cruelty can be traced back to how the perpetrator identifies with other people, argues psychologist Simon…Continue
Tags: psychopathology, cruelty, violence, evil, testosterone
Violating morals! what do you think?!
Started by Hope. Last reply by Hope Nov 27, 2011. 13 Replies 0 Likes
A sexual revolution in the Middle East... Cool but, Islamists dont like that!Anther updates from the religion of peace! what do you think?!This time it's about a teenager atheist girl who needs to…Continue
The Moral Repository
Started by Dallas the Phallus. Last reply by Dallas the Phallus Oct 25, 2011. 66 Replies 0 Likes
I thought it might be kind of nice to have a thread where we can just add all the great stuff that we find which may not merit its own thread.This thread can be used to add:· Relevant…Continue
Tags: meta-ethics, glossary, reports, studies, research
Why Is There Peace?, by Stephen Pinker
Started by Dallas the Phallus Sep 19, 2011. 0 Replies 0 Likes
Another great essay by Stephen Pinker. - Dallas Why Is There Peace?Over the past century, violent images from World War II concentration camps, Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur, Iraq, and many other times…Continue
Tags: human nature, torture, homicide, violence, history
Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty
Started by Dallas the Phallus. Last reply by Richard W. Symonds Sep 13, 2011. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty How important is our brain’s empathy circuit and what happens to society when it doesn’t work properly? We’ll find out this hour with University of Cambridge…Continue
Tags: THINK, science, NPR, autism, psychopaths
Exercises in Moral Dilemmas
Started by Dallas the Phallus. Last reply by Unseen Sep 7, 2011. 6 Replies 0 Likes
This is a thread for moral dilemmas (a part of applied ethics), feel free to post your favorite moral dilemma, real of made up, and what you would do and why. If you don't have anything to add right…Continue
Tags: applied ethics, moral dilemmas, morality, ethics
If It Feels Good to Be Good, It Might Be Only Natural
Started by Dallas the Phallus. Last reply by T A A Sep 7, 2011. 3 Replies 0 Likes
From 2007. Nothing really new to this group, though. I like the moral dilemma Greene poses on page two. That one has not come up here before. - Dallas If It Feels Good to Be Good, It Might Be Only…Continue
Tags: paleocortex, right and wrong, reward system, morals, science
IF YOU WANT TO BE AN ENLIGHTENED MORAL ATHEIST, LET NOAM CHOMSKY BE YOUR INSPIRATION - NOT RICHARD DAWKINS
Started by Richard W. Symonds. Last reply by Richard W. Symonds Jul 29, 2011. 8 Replies 1 Like
Noam Chomsky's atheist morality makes more sense to me than the atheist non-sense of 'Richard Dawkins & his Merrie Men' …Continue
Comment Wall
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Comment by T A A on January 31, 2011 at 6:22pm -
Defecation is the author's satirical rebuttal to the 'naturalistic fallacy'.
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Comment by T A A on January 30, 2011 at 8:38pm
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What happens when people try to distance themselves from biological realities in the name of PC and enlightened morality:
Satire from Southland Tales:
DE: The dude hasn't taken a shit in a week.
VM: When has it even been in the Bible that you have to have a bowel movement? It's not written anywhere.
DE: It's not written in the Bible, but some things is written, like, in mother nature. All of the animals shit. Cows shit, llamas shit.
VM: Do they like it? Do they want it? If they had a voice would they, would they rather not?
DE: I think they feel better after they take a shit. I think they do like it. My answer is yes.
VM: My answer is no!
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Comment by Morgan Matthew on January 26, 2011 at 10:08am -
I double featured the group :]
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Comment by T A A on January 25, 2011 at 5:40pm
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Quebec has only recently opened up Sundays to full blown capitalism. I disagreed with it. I think it was one aspect of religion that made total sense to have one day off a week, guaranteed. Our society has been diminished by placing commerce before happiness seven days a week.
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Comment by Dallas the Phallus on January 21, 2011 at 5:37pm -
Doone: The Feeling of Knowing is Separable from Knowing.
Thanks for posting that article. That was a fun and interesting read. I've passed it along.
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Comment by Dallas the Phallus on January 21, 2011 at 1:33pm
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Well, I just managed to get "Affect, culture, and morality, or is it wrong to eat your dog?", which I posted in the repository.
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Comment by Dallas the Phallus on January 21, 2011 at 1:00pm
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Sorry, these papers....
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Comment by Dallas the Phallus on January 21, 2011 at 12:59pm
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This paper is on several sites, but you must be a subscriber in order to access it. Does anyone feel like googling it and seeing if it is on any site that you have access to?
Affect, culture, and morality, or is it wrong to eat your dog?
Different habits, different hearts : The moral languages of the culture war
Telling More Than We Can Know: Verbal Reports on Mental Processes
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Comment by Richard W. Symonds on January 20, 2011 at 12:05pm -
Of course not Jaume - I am simply saying one idea/theory/belief/hypothesis will correspond with the truth (or reality) more than another - and faith & trust is involved in this process.
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Comment by Jaume on January 20, 2011 at 11:57am -
Then I can only conclude that expressions like 'corroborated by facts' or 'the need for evidence' are meaningless to you.
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Discussion Forum
Frans de Waal's Bottom-Up Morality: We're Not Good Because Of God
Started by Dallas the Phallus. Last reply by Tom Sarbeck Apr 22. 26 Replies 2 Likes
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