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Objective Morals Debate (Atheists only)

The Sum of Awe

Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Staff member
Premium Member
I wouldn't consider this an absolute. It's being enforced by another being. IMO, absolute would be hardwired into the universe itself.

But God made the universe in Christianity, so the creator would most likely know 'what's wrong vs right'.

But to a degree you're right; it'd be good for those who want to sin.
 

Gjallarhorn

N'yog-Sothep
But God made the universe in Christianity, so the creator would most likely know 'what's wrong vs right'.

But to a degree you're right; it'd be good for those who want to sin.
Karma would be a more "absolute" morality. It doesn't require the intervention of other beings to enforce it. Do bad, get bad. Do good, get good.

The Christian concepts of heaven and hell work like this to some extent, but I'm wary of calling them evidence of absolute morality because the rules for entry in either one vary...a lot.
 

McBell

Unbound
Christians would believe murder is an absolute bad for God said it is... So basically any sin can be my example.
I asked for a religious absolute.
Not every Christian believes that murder is an absolute bad.

Not every Christian believes sins are absolutes.
 

The Sum of Awe

Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Staff member
Premium Member
Why is that?

I'm sure we can make our own personal goal of life, but it would take a creator of the absolute to create an absolute meaning.

If you make the universe, you would be the one who has the right to make an absolute universal goal because that would be your reason for creating it (depending on which God you are).
 

Penumbra

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I'm sure we can make our own personal goal of life, but it would take a creator of the absolute to create an absolute meaning.

If you make the universe, you would be the one who has the right to make an absolute universal goal because that would be your reason for creating it (depending on which God you are).
As soon as there becomes more than one sapient mind, then goals aren't particularly absolute anymore.

If I build a sapient robot with a goal, and it decides that it's a bad goal and proposes a different one, then my will is no longer absolute over the robot. There's nothing inherent in the creator->created process that dictates that the creator's morality is absolute.

The only theistic context where morals would seem to be absolute are in monist propositions where the only thing that does exist, is god (all is one). Other than that, any anthropomorphic/monotheist depictions of deities are just as prone to relative morality as anything else.
 

The Sum of Awe

Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Staff member
Premium Member
As soon as there becomes more than one sapient mind, then goals aren't particularly absolute anymore.

If I build a sapient robot with a goal, and it decides that it's a bad goal and proposes a different one, then my will is no longer absolute over the robot. There's nothing inherent in the creator->created process that dictates that the creator's morality is absolute.

The only theistic context where morals would seem to be absolute are in monist propositions where the only thing that does exist, is god (all is one). Other than that, any anthropomorphic/monotheist depictions of deities are just as prone to relative morality as anything else.

Yes, as I said with Gjallar, a creation could even imagine God's goal to be bad.

But if he actually made something, doesn't he know exactly what it is meant for?
 

Penumbra

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Yes, as I said with Gjallar, a creation could even imagine God's goal to be bad.

But if he actually made something, doesn't he know exactly what it is meant for?
Yes, a god could know what it's meant for, but once there are other sapient minds involved, it's no longer absolute. It's just a set of opinions, with god's opinion I suppose being the one with the most power.

I could invent a robot with a particular goal in mind, but then it could decide on a different goal. At that point, who is to say which goal is better?

So any anthropomorphic/monotheist god concepts don't particularly contain absolute morality.
 

FlyingTeaPot

Irrational Rationalist. Educated Fool.
Do you believe in absolute good/evil? Do you believe in absolute morals?

How can you believe in absolute morals or something that is good or evil to everyone if you don't believe in an objective meaning to life?

Do you believe in an absolute meaning of life?

How can you believe in an absolute meaning to life if you don't believe in a God?

What I mean by absolute is that it applies to everything living.
No.



There are no absolutes, only degrees
 

Ladybug

New Member
I believe that there is no black and white/good and bad. I feel that most things fall under grey areas.
I also don't think that there is a meaning to life.
 

McBell

Unbound
I believe that there is no black and white/good and bad. I feel that most things fall under grey areas.
I also don't think that there is a meaning to life.
If you mean an all encompassing, all inclusive, absolute black and white, then I agree.

However, I do understand and accept the fact that there are black and white / good and evil for individuals, neighborhoods, groups, societies, etc.
 
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