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An Atheist Behavioral Code?

Started by LARA, November 11, 2008, 11:03:46 PM

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LARA

I'm taking it on my arrogant self to start another thread regarding behavior  (oh no!!!!)  But I'm trying to limit it just to ethics rather than morals to keep commentary of a religious nature out of the picture, please.  john31 started a thread with a good, simple question of whether we need some kind of code of behavior. So how about a vote?
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
                                                                                                                    -Winston Smith, protagonist of 1984 by George Orwell

Sophus

No. Atheism provides freedom to think and judge for ones self.
‎"Christian doesn't necessarily just mean good. It just means better." - John Oliver

Whitney

Since there is no system of values attached to being an atheist, I don't see how atheism itself is a good thing to base an ethical system on.  There are, however, many philosophical views most atheists use to determine proper behavior.

Titan

Sorry, I marked "no" but I probably shouldn't have answered. Cancel one of those votes when you compare the statistics on it.
"Those who praise the light of fire, but blame it for its heat, should not be listened to, as they judge it according to their comfort or discomfort and not by its nature. They wish to see, but not to be burnt. They forget that this very light which pleases them so much is a discomfort to weak eyes and harms them..."
- St. Augustine

"The soul lives

Asmodean

My answer is no. Why make such a social pizza?
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on July 25, 2013, 08:18:52 PM
In Asmo's grey lump,
wrath and dark clouds gather force.
Luxembourg trembles.

Kyuuketsuki

Quote from: "Sophus"No. Atheism provides freedom to think and judge for ones self.

Agreed 100%

Kyu
James C. Rocks: UK Tech Portal & Science, Just Science

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karadan

Quote from: "Sophus"No. Atheism provides freedom to think and judge for ones self.

Agreed.

I define my system of morality by how i like to be treated. I try to keep it simple. If it makes me feel good, i should try to do the same with others.
QuoteI find it mistifying that in this age of information, some people still deny the scientific history of our existence.

Kyuuketsuki

Quote from: "karadan"
Quote from: "Sophus"No. Atheism provides freedom to think and judge for ones self.

I define my system of morality by how i like to be treated. I try to keep it simple. If it makes me feel good, i should try to do the same with others.

I don't think you do  :)

This could get long & messy  :crazy:

Kyu
James C. Rocks: UK Tech Portal & Science, Just Science

[size=150]Not Long For This Forum [/size]

karadan

Quote from: "Kyuuketsuki"
Quote from: "karadan"
Quote from: "Sophus"No. Atheism provides freedom to think and judge for ones self.

I define my system of morality by how i like to be treated. I try to keep it simple. If it makes me feel good, i should try to do the same with others.

I don't think you do  :)

This could get long & messy  :crazy:

Kyu

Of course it was learned. I believe i was brought up right so that my moral compass was pointing in the right direction. I certainly wasn't born thinking that. That doesn't stop the fact that it still makes up my personal moral standard.

I think you may be confusing instrumental moral value with intrinsic moral value.

Besides, i don't really want to get into a scemantic argument over this. I was merely pointing out how i live my life. It isn't really something which deserves academic scrutiny.
QuoteI find it mistifying that in this age of information, some people still deny the scientific history of our existence.

DennisK

Picking one set of morals would be like declaring yourself a Democrat or Republican.  Although you may not agree with everything on your party's platform, you are still labeled and it is assumed you follow their respective creeds.

Like many have said before, atheism is not defined by morals or lack of them.  It simply means you believe there is no god.
"If you take a highly intelligent person and give them the best possible, elite education, then you will most likely wind up with an academic who is completely impervious to reality." -Halton Arp

Asmodean

Quote from: "DennisK"Picking one set of morals would be like declaring yourself a Democrat or Republican.
Not really. It would be quite pointless though.
Quote from: "DennisK"Although you may not agree with everything on your party's platform, you are still labeled and it is assumed you follow their respective creeds.
I disagree. Me siding with a political party implies that I agree with their major points, that's it.
Quote from: "DennisK"Like many have said before, atheism is not defined by morals or lack of them.  It simply means you believe there is no god.
Indeed.  :beer:
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on July 25, 2013, 08:18:52 PM
In Asmo's grey lump,
wrath and dark clouds gather force.
Luxembourg trembles.

LARA

Interesting vote so far.  For a group that's often considered harder to herd than cats, there seems to be little dissent.  Terribly curious as to who voted 'yes' and why.  I haven't voted yet, by the way.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
                                                                                                                    -Winston Smith, protagonist of 1984 by George Orwell

curiosityandthecat

Quote from: "LARA"Interesting vote so far.  For a group that's often considered harder to herd than cats, there seems to be little dissent.  Terribly curious as to who voted 'yes' and why.  I haven't voted yet, by the way.

Actually, I voted yes, because there are no stipulations as to what format the "code" should be. As far as I'm concerned, atheists should all follow a code of live-and-let-live, though that by no means should be canon, just a suggestion, just as the moral codes of so many religions are... flexible.
-Curio

Sophus

Quote from: "karadan"I define my system of morality by how i like to be treated.

I used to do that too but I found out that the Golden Rule has a huge flaw. Not everybody wants to be treated the same way. For example: Most people want others to be social, warm and friendly with them. However, I'm a quiet guy. I just want to be left alone to swim in my head peacefully. So I only use that rule when I know someone well enough to know what they want.
‎"Christian doesn't necessarily just mean good. It just means better." - John Oliver

Mister Joy

Atheists adopting a single moral code sounds a tad totalitarian to me. It's not as though we're a belief or a club or anything; just a non-category. Just because two people don't believe in the same something it doesn't mean that what they do believe is going to be remotely similar. There are atheists in the world that I'm more distant to in opinion than I am with Christians. We might as well be asking "should everyone adopt a single system of ethics?" And it's paradoxical because my answer can only depend on my own, personal set of ethics. Ergo, there's no scope for objectivity and it's impossible to make a rational argument either way.