Morals without religion

[ilia25]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le-74R9C6Bc&feature=player_embedded]TEDxPeachtree - Frans de Waal - Morality without Religion - YouTube[/ame]

 

[FA_Q2]

Interesting stuff. The last experiment was quite funny. The fact that we need a study to tell us that morality can, indeed, exist without religion is astounding though. I would have thought that came without saying. The study does give a lot of insight into how animals do have somewhat advanced interpersonal relationships though. I think that a lot of people tend to forget that many animals are quite capable of advanced thought and understanding complex issues.

 

[ilia25]

Interesting stuff. The last experiment was quite funny. The fact that we need a study to tell us that morality can, indeed, exist without religion is astounding though. I would have thought that came without saying. The study does give a lot of insight into how animals do have somewhat advanced interpersonal relationships though. I think that a lot of people tend to forget that many animals are quite capable of advanced thought and understanding complex issues.

Don't tell me you are an atheist.

 

[FA_Q2]

Interesting stuff. The last experiment was quite funny. The fact that we need a study to tell us that morality can, indeed, exist without religion is astounding though. I would have thought that came without saying. The study does give a lot of insight into how animals do have somewhat advanced interpersonal relationships though. I think that a lot of people tend to forget that many animals are quite capable of advanced thought and understanding complex issues.

Don't tell me you are an atheist.

Why do you say that? What have I said before that makes you think I am one or not?

 

[ilia25]

Interesting stuff. The last experiment was quite funny. The fact that we need a study to tell us that morality can, indeed, exist without religion is astounding though. I would have thought that came without saying. The study does give a lot of insight into how animals do have somewhat advanced interpersonal relationships though. I think that a lot of people tend to forget that many animals are quite capable of advanced thought and understanding complex issues.

Don't tell me you are an atheist.

Why do you say that? What have I said before that makes you think I am one or not?

Well, it's the atheists who believe that human morals are not a divine gift.

 

[FA_Q2]

Typically yes and I am an atheist so I guess I should get that out there first. Some religious people argue that morals can't exist without religion but the fact that atheists are all over the place and have morals should be enough to smash that little farce immediately. Your OP had nothing to do with divinity though and the fact that animals show morality also does not address divine nature of morality either. It specifies RELIGION - not God. From a religious standpoint:

If God is the center of all morality it would stand to reason that he created us all in with an inner moral compass. God can be the source of all morality but that does not mean that you must have religion in order to find a basic understanding of morality. Essentially: the source of morality, be it an effect of natural selection or a product of design, has nothing to do with the weather or not you need religion to be moral or understand morality.

So, yes I am an atheist but I do not think that you need to be an atheist to understand that morality can be had with or without a church or religion.