As an atheist is it logical to belive in ethics?

Question

I mean are ethics all based on religion?

Answer 1

No it is not logical to believe in them, but it is logical to comply with them.

Answer 2

Ethics is based on social and personal principles. It is a set of rules laid down by an individual and/or some other entity.

Ethics does not HAVE to be religion-based at all; you do not have to belong to any religion or group to have an ethical code.

Neither is ethics logical or illogical except it is an adjunct to a particular code.

There are atheists with more humane ethics than some religious person; similarly there are religious persons whose principles are grounded in benevolence.

Ethics is not identical to religious creeds, but there are aspects of ethics that are similar to those creeds.

Answer 3

No, there are many ethical philosophies that have no basis in religion. If we look at two of the most famous examples of ethical ideologies, altruism and utilitarianism, we quickly see that neither is religious.

Altruism is basically the idea that you should do unto others as you would have others do unto you. While many religions advocate this rule, you needn't be religious to believe that this is a good way of acting.

Utilitarianism is the idea that the right thing to do is the thing which causes the greatest total happiness. This theory is almost scientific in its workings, and is completely distinct from religious morality.

Answer 4

No, not all ethics are based on religion or belief in God. Many different ethical systems have been developed which do not require any sort of religious beliefs. Instead they rely on some fact about humans or human nature that provides a basis for believing there is such thing as goodness or morality in the world.
Utilitarians see happiness as the good and pain as the bad. Because of this, they believe one should always act in order to maximize happiness and minimize pain. In order to think of happiness as good though, one does not need to believe in God, even if there are Utilitarians that do.
There are a large group of people today called Moral Realists that see moral qualities like good and bad as actual properties in the world discoverable in ways similar to other physical properties like color. Moral Realists do not have to give a reason for why those properties are in the objects they are. They only have show that those properties are actually there.

Answer 5

An atheist can be ethical, but his foundation for ethics can't be God. There are societies today where ethics is founded on non-religious base. For example some of the eastern religions are atheistic.

Answer 6

Ethics are a fundamental component of society. Society is build on trust - an individual with no ethics can not be trusted. Being an atheist is not the same thing as being an anarchist.
The difference between an atheist and a theist is that the atheist recognizes his ethical behavior as a personal decision that weighs pros and cons whereas the theist believes it is the observation of an unimpeachable rule.

Answer 7

Religion (among other things, and please don't flame) is a way of getting the masses to act ethically. The message basically boils down to "play nice with each other."

As an atheist, it is not only logical but imperatve to believe in ethics. If you have no fear of eternal consequences for doing wrong, all that anchors you in this world is your own ethical compass.

Answer 8

Even though I'm not an atheist I think it's quite logical for an atheist to believe in ethics because people can derive ethics from their human existence. Ethics is about how humans should behave toward each other. This concern derives directly from our lives. It's a matter of human interest. How you treat other people is a matter of how other people can treat you. You can discern that generosity is better than greed or that kindness is better than cruelty on the basis of the issue themselves.

The problem with basing ethics on God is that it denies any intrinsic right or wrong. Does God sanction and prohibit behaviors because they are bad or are they only bad because God prohibits them? Answer yes to the first part and no to the second part means that it is possible to discern ethics without appealling to a higher power. God may still be the basis for ethics in that ethics ultimately derive from His nature, but moral discernment is not contingent on a belief in God's existence. Answer no to the first part and yes to the second part means that human ethics is only a matter of God's arbitrary choice. It denies any intrinsic right or wrong. You would not be able to discern right and wrong because ethics based on God's arbitrary decree have no intrinsic qualities.

In other words if we have to wait for God tell us what's right and wrong then they aren't really right or wrong. If we can see what's right and wrong for ourselves it means that right and wrong are intrinsic.

Answer 9

Logically, Atheism is the ethical/moral belief.

Religionists will have you believe that religion is ethics. Religion however is illogical from its base premise of faith. Logic and faith are opposites.

Ask yourself, what is ethics or morality?
What is religion? What is atheism?
What is faith? What is logic?
How do you know which is the moral path?

Is there proof of God's existence?

Can you prove a negative?

Answer 10

I don't think all ethics are religious based...I think they are humanity based. To me living an ethical existence is abiding by basically the golden rule...which while it is prevalant in ALL religions, is really based in acting in a non-harmful, respectful way to the world in general.

I do feel a LOT of "values" are based on your religious practices, though certainly not all of them.

So I feel you CAN seperate believing in ethics and practicing any particular religion.

Answer 11

not necessarily. Many are based on philosophy and COMMON SENSE. ine doesnt need a God to know the difference between right and wrong. Ironically, many athiest as a result seem to commit less crimes, because they have the logic to know what is good and bad. Some religious types actually do more violent acts "in the name of God" where are their ethics?