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All Blog Posts Tagged 'ethics' (52)

Defining Five Terms

August 21, 1998. Defining five terms. Rand used the term "objective" differently than most philosophers.

Some definitions, from Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition.

OBJECTIVE: ... in the realm of sensible experience, independent of individual thought and perceptible by all observers; having reality independent of the mind.... perceptible to persons other than the affected individual... OBJECTIVISM: an ethical theory that moral good is objectively real or…

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Added by John B Hodges on March 13, 2011 at 1:48pm — 3 Comments

A Short Reply for an "Objective Basis for Ethics"

On Friday March 4, there was an article on a right-wing Christian site:

Atheists Targeting Nation With Godless Media Blitz

WRITTEN BY DAVE BOHON

FRIDAY, 04 MARCH 2011

<http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/culture/family/6571-atheists-targeting-nation-with-godless-media-blitz>…

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Added by John B Hodges on March 13, 2011 at 6:49am — 2 Comments

Coming Soon- The American Theocracy

The move toward American Theocracy by the empowered evangelical 'elite' in the US has made it almost impossible for an atheist or difficult for a non-christian to be elected to office. Schools are having their curriculum undermined by creationist who wish to revise history, remove evolution from science, and prevent teaching sexual health and pregnancy prevention. Atheist fear reprisals for not being christian and are often discriminated against at work, socially, and most especially in…

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Added by Shannon on February 15, 2011 at 10:57pm — 6 Comments

Rational Egoistic Objective Morality

Why does it feel good to see others happy? Why would we be interested in others' welfare? Why try to survive? Why make decisions toward our own welfare? We are hardwired. It is that simple. It is the way we are evolved. This is the way it is, even before people started talking about it (at earliest, as people were first talking about it). Every single person is always the final arbiter of every decision they make, whether it helps others or not. The final common goal in life is always personal… Continue

Added by MCT on January 20, 2011 at 7:00am — 2 Comments

i want to eat a penguin...

ever since i saw that "march of the penguins" movie, i've wanted to try a penguin.

they looks so fatty and juicy...

i love fish that live in cold water. and i love chicken.

if you think about it, a penguin is like a cold water chicken.

most of my atheist friends say, that's disgusting! you shouldn't eat a penguin.

but my christian friends say that god gave humans dominion over all the plants and animals.

should i convert to… Continue

Added by markystar on September 1, 2010 at 1:55am — 17 Comments

Passive and Active Atheism

PASSIVE AND ACTIVE ATHEISM

Atheism is often defined as "the absence of god-beliefs". This

definition is useful in debate, because it does not assume any burden of…

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Added by John B Hodges on August 29, 2010 at 6:00am — 6 Comments

Antitheism - An Ethical Imperative

In a fascistic controlled society it is not sufficient just not to be a fascist, but rather it is compellingly necessary to be an anti-fascist. Just as in a racist society it is insufficient not to be a racist, but being an anti-racist is ethically required.

Similarly to the necessity for anti-fascism, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-speciesism etc. (which is in view of the parallels hard to deny) it is in our theistic dominated…

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Added by Jack Ryan on August 7, 2010 at 11:00am — No Comments

I Believe...

A popular repost from the internet...but I have lived and learned all of these.

It is in a way, my own Manifesto.

_________________________________________________

I believe --

.... that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other.

And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I believe --

....that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe --…

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Added by Scott Popejoy on July 26, 2010 at 10:00am — 2 Comments

Determinism Irrelevant

Years ago I decided that the issue of "free will vs. determinism" is irrelevant to questions of ethics, and untestable with respect to matters of science. Since then I have tried to avoid wasting time on it. But it comes up every now and then in Freethinker circles, and many people are lured into arguing at length over it.

Our ordinary practice is to ascribe "free will" to beings which are conscious and intelligent. "Conscious" meaning that they have an internal…

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Added by John B Hodges on July 7, 2010 at 2:33pm — 13 Comments

The Uncensored Ten Commandments

The theocratic Right is conducting a "Hang Ten!" crusade, to get the Ten Commandments posted on the walls of government buildings such as schools and courthouses, to give government endorsement to them. But the versions posted are usually edited and paraphrased, creating a false impression. Perhaps people would be more wary of these efforts if they read the original text, and understood the "divinely ordained" penalties attached. The following quotes will help put the Commandments in…

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Added by John B Hodges on July 7, 2010 at 2:11pm — 6 Comments

The Apple

Would you bite the apple that gave knowledge of good and evil? Read on.

We find ourselves alive and conscious. What shall we do with our lives? Beware "fishers of men". If we demand that someone else supply us with a purpose, someone else may DO just that. Purpose is ours to choose.

There is a natural "default" purpose, which we may choose if we like. We all have parents, as did they, back to the beginning of life.…

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Added by John B Hodges on July 7, 2010 at 1:58pm — No Comments

Why Be Ethical?

April 12, 1997; Trying to address the question of "Why be ethical?" Why

care about other people, why work to make the world a better place? A

collection of reasons.

"What IS ethical?" and "Why BE ethical?" are two DIFFERENT questions,

but the answers are related. Different answers to the first make the

second a different question. If a theory of ethics does not answer the

second, its answer to the first is…

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Added by John B Hodges on July 7, 2010 at 1:33pm — No Comments

Is and Ought; Rand's MetaEthics

This was not originally written for an Objectivist audience; I was arguing with a Kantian on an Atheist list. -JBH

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March 7, 2001;…

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Added by John B Hodges on April 15, 2010 at 2:54am — 1 Comment

Catholic Church Says Child Rape Not Immoral

Due to the recent string of scandals plaguing the Catholic Church, Vatican Biblical scholars have been studying the Bible carefully to find out God’s opinion on rape. They can’t seem to find any passage which states or infers that child rape is a sin. Earlier this morning, the Pope met in a closed door session with the Creator of the Universe and God informed him that child rape is not immoral.

Read the rest of this… Continue

Added by Staks Rosch on April 1, 2010 at 8:07am — 3 Comments

Children Good Without God

A concerned prospective father sent me a message asking,

"I'd like to learn something as a good father from you. Considering that you're an atheist, how can teach your children how to behave in good manner and ethic. Because when I was a kid, my parents used to tell me "Be good boy and tidy your room then God will bless you...etc." I don't want to say these words to my children as a prospective father. And i wonder what do you…

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Added by TJMorgan on March 26, 2010 at 3:30pm — 4 Comments

Pope's letter protects church, not its victims

The Pope’s letter on child sexual abuse holds lessons for civic society. What he writes to Catholics about religion is a matter between him and them. But the Catholic church also operates within civic…

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Added by Michael Nugent on March 22, 2010 at 7:14pm — 1 Comment

Attitudes of Atheists toward Religion

October 12, 1997. Attitudes of atheists toward religion.

Nonbelievers call themselves by a variety of names, and have

formed a plentitude of organizations (despite their small numbers). I

think this is due to the range of attitudes they have on crucial

issues, foremost among them religion.

Recently, on an email discussion list, I read one man's comment

that he preferred the…

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Added by John B Hodges on March 7, 2010 at 3:06pm — 2 Comments

Is rape more morally abhorrent than murder?

I've heard a lot of people say that they think rape is worse than murder. I'm not sure where I stand on this, but I have a few opinions that sway me either way.

1. You can have a good reason to kill someone, like they are trying to kill you, although this may not count a murder, since it was out of self defense.

2. There is never a good reason to rape someone.

3. After a rape, the victim is never fully healed. Rape victims often have flashbacks, memories long after the…

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Added by Hekate Moon on February 26, 2010 at 10:35pm — 7 Comments

Re-reading Exodus 20:23

In sunday school, I was taught that God had given humanity a handful of non-negotiable laws that must be obeyed. These laws were the Ten Commandments, of course. In my adolescence, I had believe these ten laws were reasonable and if the adults in my life had insisted I follow them uncritically, I quite naturally did so without question. Incidentally, this is the exactly the type of faith that is often encouraged today -- the faith of a child -- obedience without question. We were praised for… Continue

Added by MC Pickard on December 16, 2009 at 12:47pm — 2 Comments

Governer de Kretser talked to Victoria's Police Chaplains' Annual Conference about ethics and religion.

Victoria's Governor spoke to the annual conference of Police Chaplains and said a lot of nonsense unfortunately. First he said that because church attendance is declining we should think of teaching ethics in schools and other educational institutions. Well I'm all in favour of teaching ethics but what does it have to do with declining church attendance?

Church attendance in Australia is about 7.5% and falling. A figure I'm very proud of. It makes Australia one of the most secular… Continue

Added by Janet Holmes on November 3, 2009 at 10:15pm — No Comments