Nihilutionist: If you believe in testable hypotheses and observable evidence, how can you have any morals?

Answer 1

Because we've tested our morals under repeatable conditions, observed the outcomes, recorded them and decided, "hey, that'll work!"

Answer 2

Those two have no relationship. It only becomes problematic when someone embraces empiricism alone as true or the related philosophy of materialism. However, believing in testable truth doesn't necessarily require immorality.

Frankly, going the opposite direction (no truth is testable) is just as immoral as materialism. It's a true axiom that I am to rape and kill anyone I want. How can it be tested and called into check? I could justify anything I want with any truth declaration. You end up with the exact same thing as with materialism at its logical conclusion: a complete negation of morality. Your way isn't any more moral.

Answer 3

First one needs to find a "nihilutionist" to ask that question - which is of course a trick question as we all know there is no such animal. But I assume it is theoretically possible for there to be an amoral animal who tests various hypotheses concerning the best way to kill and eat anything made of meat and does so by observing evidence of the various defenses put up by the prey, and especially those that have assumed that all beings have some vestige of moral rules, or at least some notion of fair play, and of course such an assumption would be their most vulnerable attribute.
But then again, this imaginary being would need to be a self-replicating organism, since if it had any sort of kin or belonged to any group of like kind, there would have to be some sort of rules that kept them from all eating each other.
And that of course is what morality consists of - even though there is of course disagreement as to what set of rules are equally applicable to sharks and their favorite sources of food.

Answer 4

What are the 5 w's?

Answer 5

Church Lady, I can never find a response to match your wit.

But I would like to add a thought. My take on morals is that it's something we all have to discover and search for ourselves. It's like the English language. We all sort of pick it up, but some of us are better at it than others, and there are regional differences, but overall we can talk about the same things and understand each other, and get along for the most part.

If you take the easy road and swallow someone else's moral system wholesale, without thinking about them for yourself, then you're opening yourself up to all sorts of manipulation and coercion. "They told me it was okay," is not a good excuse.

Answer 6

Bah, your splitting hairs, like everybody likes to do.

Okay, case in point. No moral code episode. I decide that I want to shoot Bubba in the head because he said something nasty about the way I take care of my lawn. I go ahead and do it.

While Bubba's body is mouldering outside in the hot July sun amongst my azaleas, his long lost brother shows up. Long lost brother is saddened by said loss of said brother. He brings out his gun and shoots me. I bleed to death on the ground in the hot July sun.

Now if I had thought it through, moral code or no, I would have been aware of .... repercussions and consequences!

You don't have to believe in a god or such, but with the possibility of getting shot, stabbed, face hugged by aliens, etc. it isn't too hard to be "good."

Besides, it makes it easier to live in the world when people aren't hacking each other up.

Answer 7

But the two are not mutually exclusive. See, if I take a bible, set it on fire, and then shove it down a pastor's pants, then I've just helped the pastor become more moral by setting him afire for the lord. That fire will prevent him from molesting little kids. This can be proven again and again, as many times as it takes to keep the pastor's hands off your children's bottoms.

Answer 8

You mean the two have something to do with each other? Like... if you can prove something, you're less moral? So... the people who can prove the most are the least moral?

Answer 9

So you hate people like Jonas Salk who invented the polio vaccine?

Answer 10

Nihilutionists can believe whatever they want. (That does not necessarily mean they do or don't come equipped with morals.)