Quote:
Originally Posted by terrazoids
also your argument about morality just doesn't make any sense. Why would people act morally if they knew they could get an advantage over someone else by being immoral. Whats wrong with getting an advantage over someone else. If your truly an atheist, you'll admit that theres nothing wrong with that.
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Atheist doesn't equal amoral, or even immoral. An atheist may be amoral, as may people who profess a faith in a deity or two.
I am an atheist, and my views on global morality are summed up in a quote in my signature: "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so", meaning that what one group may find moral, another will find utterly repugnant.
My own morality and ethics stem from a couple of books by J S Mill: On Liberty and Utilitarianism. I'm happy to go into it in more detail (quite possibly too much detail) if you or anyone else is interested.
What stops me going out and killing someone because they've got in my way? If I'm brutally honest, selfishness. If I accept that it is OK for me to kill someone because they've got in my way, then I have to accept it is OK for others to do the same, or be a hypocrite. And frankly I'm quite happy living my life without the fear that someone might kill me for offending them(*). Also, it strikes me that in order to actually go out and kill people you must be either consumed with hatred or anger. Now, I've experienced both in quite concentrated doses, and I feel far happier without those emotions getting too intense. (And for what it's worth, neither the law of the land nor of any deity/religion (or fear of retribution from same) has any influence on it).
And yes, that is very simplistic, but if I go into any more detail I'll be here all night typing, and the yeti(**) would rather I go to bed sooner rather than later.
(* I realise that there is the possibility that someone might kill me because I've upset them, but in the current world it is a far slimmer chance than my hypothetical one above)
(** not the mythical one, but the lesser spotted yeti domesticus. AKA my hubby ***)
(*** he's acquired that nickname as yeti is easier to type than the tall and hairy one.)