Do atheists believe in evil?

Question

Doesn't it take faith to say that something is "good" or "evil"? Thinking in absolutes like that is uncommon outside of faiths.

This comes from something someone just answered:

"An atheist has no faith, having recognized that faith, being the holding of an opinion unsupported by evidence, is illogical and hence evil. It is correct to say that the existence of god can be neither proved nor disproved; it is provable from that, however, that no theory of god can be of any consequence in the real world: all such theories are useless."

Personally, my beliefs on "good" and "evil" are summed up nicely in a book I once read. I don't think I can quote it correctly here (it has been too many years) but I will try.
"There is no good or evil, balck or white. Just many horrible shades of gray."
(I believe that is from the Ghatti's Tale series by Gayle Greeno, which is also where "Kharm" comes from.)

I believe some things can be so horrific and cruel (such as the Holocaust) that they could be labeled evil, but in that case it would be more a figure of speech, rather than truly "evil."

I'm wondering what people think about "good" and "evil." That is my main question.


What are your views on "good" and evil?"

Actually, Brett, I'm not a theist. You are obviously not a regular here. The question was directed towards atheists because of the curious post I found.

Answer 1

Only humans can be evil. Nature is red in tooth and claw (I've been wanting a reason to say that, so thanks!) but it is supremely indifferent.

That said, I think it makes sense that evil is not this vaporous presence hovering over us - a separate entity. I think it comes from within and is completely manmade.

My jury is still out on sharks, bears and mosquitos though. I think they really might have a sentient evilness.

Answer 2

As the author of the quote that you cited, I cannot resist the temptation to expound further. If there were no such thing as mankind, there could be no concept of good or evil: these relate to human activities, and no absolute standard is possible. The author of your book makes some sense, in that there are gradations of badness: it is one thing to pilfer a pair of socks from a store, and another thing to rob a bank at gunpoint and shoot innocent bystanders (or fly airplanes into tall buildings). Another complication is: one cannot predict with certainty all the effects of a particular action; if a mechanic leaves a bolt off of an airplane and it crashes as a result, the effect can be much worse than might have been expected. Certainly there are actions that we could all deplore and label as "evil", and anyone would understand what is meant.

Answer 3

I really don't believe in the Judeo Chistian God or that the Bible is "the word"...I just can't in all good conscience swallow it whole.

That said...I absolutely believe in good and evil. Why is that hard to grasp? Good is not synonimous with God and Evil with Satan. Man is good and Man is evil. Man loves and Man murders. Man(kind) gives life and Man(kind) tortures it.

Some people who do not believe in God may make such blanket statement as to say no good or evil only shades of grey but I really do think good and evil are not the exclusive domain of religion.

I'm not sure but I think maybe that quote you refer to above was written by one who either can't grasp the concept as I have outlined or is in fact a very "religious" person attempting to speak on a subject he'll never understand as his faith is all he needs.

I'm not sure where you came to believe that those who aren't "faithful" don't think in terms of right or wrong or that they have no conscience. Humans all over the world from Jerusalem to Akron to the Amazon have the inate ability to understand wrong from right and more than a great many have never even heard of the blood of the lamb unless it was dinner.

Answer 4

Yes. Usually when people consider something wrong to a strong degree, they consider it evil. Atheists usually do believe in good and evil, but just not the same way theists do. Morality, good and evil, and more are subjective. I'm pretty sure you could get most atheists to agree that stuff like child molestation is evil. No faith needed there.

Answer 5

As an atheist I think I can tell the difference between good and evil. Faith, relegion whatever way you want to put it does not have the exclusive rights to morality. You don't need god to tell you what is right or wrong, good or evil, you just need a conscience - which most people do have - regardless of religion.

For what it is worth I think that religion actually does the opposite to what you might think - rather than making people more morally aware I think it makes people less morally aware as they do not have to think of their own morality - they can rely on the judjements of god's morality, a priest's morality, etc. I feel that religion prevents people's own moral compass being exercised.

Answer 6

Good and evil are defined by society and are based upon what the culture and legal framework of that society finds acceptable.

There are common threads amongst virtually all societies - and certainly the successful ones - which focus on the protection of the society and its component individuals. Murder, beatings and torture are universally decried as evil acts, however, execution, corporal punishment and interrogation may not be.

The idea that there is a universal standard of absolute morality is, however, ludicrous. The morals espoused in the Bible for example are not the morals of today - wife beating, genocide, rape, human sacrifice and killing anyone who gets in your way are frowned upon.

As for the person stating that most atheists would agree that child molestation is evil, I would agree. It's just a shame that the Catholic Church doesn't see things that way.

Answer 7

Well I cant answer for all atheists but i can tell you how does i manage and explain my behavior.
First I don't believe in the existence of evil. I think people make the decision of what is best, by using the available information they have, premade concepts and moral values, anecdotal value judgments, and finally adding feelings and subconscious factors. That is viewing reality trough a prism of knowledge, experience and feelings unique for each person.

What i mean is that "I cannot perform evil" i only perform negative or damaging behavior, always paying the price, be it social, psychological or physical.

Answer 8

There is no such thing as abstract "good" or "evil." These are merely terms for the relationships between things. Heat is "good" for hot dogs and "evil" for ice cream.

If you really want to go to the fountainhead, check out Nietzsche's "Beyond Good and Evil." You could hardly make better use of your time.

Answer 9

Do i think undesirable issues happen...uh, yeah. Evil is in user-friendly terms a be conscious to describe something undesirable. i've got not got self assurance there is an "evil rigidity" floating around inflicting chaos if that's what you mean.

Answer 10

I think evil is really how we define it. Every one who says an act is clearly evil, will be describing a different act. And what one thinks is evil, another does not, because they have a different understanding of what's going on.

Here's a quote that matches my perspective:

'I might not know much about good and evil, but I'm pretty good at right and wrong'."

--Granny Weatherwax (Terry Pratchett)