If you not theist, why bother with Good and Evil?

Answer 1

"An organism's life is its standard of value: that which furthers its life is the good, that which threatens it is the evil."

Answer 2

Depends whether your agnostic, atheist or a non-dualist. In the relative world we need to make value judgments based up reduction in suffering and hardship. This is a no brainer whether you are a theist, agnostic, atheist or non-dualist. We do not create reality it configures itself so that we must participate. The evolution of pleasure and pain directs us towards pleasure as the evolution of empathy directs us towards social justice and equity. It can be said there there is no such thing as good and evil from a domain of causal determinism however equally the determinism can claim good and evil are simply artifacts of the absolute necessity of existence. As is the way of things the intelligent person will see a broad range of contexts while advocating non-violence and compassion.

Answer 3

it is actually theists who cannot understand the notion of good and bad.

a theist must do what their God commands, whatever its moral value. so if a theist is told by God to do a bad thing, they must do it.

good and bad are inherently atheistic notions; since they suppose that there is a moral worth independent of authority.

Answer 4

In order to have Order, one must have rules and ethics. Atheists, especially Secular Humanists, use efficiency and simplicity as their criterion for their laws. Yet, what's really funny about all of this, if you remove every influence of religion, whether it be Shariah law to Zoroastrianism, there would not be an absolute foundation for the ethics. Therefore, they wish to live like God-like people by being godless....silly isn't it?

Answer 5

Some of the most moral people I know are atheists. Their sense of right and wrong comes from within, without the stick of hell or the carrot of eternal reward. They live that way because they believe in doing what's right. As someone who was raised in a very religious atmosphere, I admire these folks very much.

Answer 6

why bother with good and evil? good and evil is not a function created by god. it is a function created by humans to align theirselves with their kind. for example. if i am a headhunter from a tribe where head hunting is 'good'. if i go to your place and started hunting heads, what would that make me? would you still agree with me that head hunting is good? i this case i would be labed as 'bad' or 'evil'. even if you believe in god or not things such as good and evil exists.

Answer 7

exactly! the world is not simply good or evil,this type of dualistic thinking or way of perceiving the world is too limited and simplistic , which leads to flawed assessments, and conclusions and poor choices.

right/wrong/god/evil tend to be emotional judgements rather than analytical,evaluations which require higher levels of thinking .
And when we use critical thinking skills, we tend to make more accurate judgements/assesments plans, and form clearer perceptions of reality, than when we do ,when we think emotionally.

Answer 8

Exactly - so why not use a useful measure of behaviour and change that which needs changing rather than just jump up and down in self -righteousness - complaining.

Answer 9

What makes you think values have to be imposed from outside? Everyone knows what's good and bad. We don't have to be threatened by some mythological boogeyman to behave ourselves.

Answer 10

Because that's the way the world is aligned from a purely human standpoint as well.