Atheists, what is the foundation of your moral and ethical beliefs?

Question

No, I am not saying Atheists do not have morals and ethics, because quite obviously they do. But most people have a cornerstone, so to speak, which ethical and moral behavior is built around.

I was wondering what was the cornerstone of the yours. Is it personal like conscience or familial practices. A philosophical movement like humanism, a political movement.

I am a Theist and I know mine come from many different places, the cornerstone being theology (real theological thought throughout the ages, not just scripture). I would have asked everyone but I know from most Theists on Yahoo Answers all I would get is scripture.

I see Matt M the first answerer did not really read the question since I specifically state in the first sentance I am NOT saying Atheists do not have morals or ethics.

That is in no what this question was about that you have to have relgion to have moral and ethical beliefs in fact it was just the opposite, that morals and ethics come from many places.

Fuzzy, which part of morals and ethics come from many places or that you do not not have to have religion to have morals and ethics did you not understand?

There are a lot of great answers here. I see more contribute to personal factors rather then a particular school of thought. It is going to be tough to pick the best answer.

Answer 1

I simply don't want to hurt anyone. This moral cornerstone does eliminate some some morals I was raised with, such as: no interracial marriages, no divorce, pregnancy before marriage should be hidden and the child should be given away to someone so that no one will ever know, homosexuals should be outcasts of society...

Answer 2

Mine is based on my parent's morals, my experience and my culture's ethical beliefs. I believe that most of humanity shares the basic ethical rules, murder and stealing etc is wrong, you should help people when you can and look after your family. These are common to all cultures, so they are ingrained in us as human beings as social, co-operating animals.
I know some theists would claim the 10 commandments as the origin of these basic rules, but they are wider than the Abrahamic religions and older, Hammurabi's laws were before Moses. I think that religions encoded rules of behaviour rather than originated them.

Answer 3

there is not any ethical code inherent in atheism. Atheists frequently do persist with ethical codes, in spite of the undeniable fact that, and those are generally based around social settlement concept and the Golden Rule. the assumption of the Golden Rule would not contain a god, so the certainty that it replaced into progressed by employing theists is irrelevant.

Answer 4

Basically, the atheist cannot claim any moral absolutes at all. To an atheist, ethics must be variable and evolving. They do not have a set of moral laws from an absolute God by which right and wrong are judged. But, they do live in societies that have legal systems with a codified set of laws. This would be the closest thing to moral absolutes for atheists. So, if we ask if it is or isn't it right, the atheist can only tell us his opinion.

But, given human nature being what it is, I will opt for the moral absolutes -- based on God's word -- and not on the subjective and changing morals that atheism offers.

Answer 5

Well, this is how moral your god is.

Exodus 21:15, 17 both say that if a child hits or curses his father, he is to be killed.

Leviticus 20:9 says that if a child curses his mother or father he is to be put to death.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21 requires stoning to death any child who is stubborn or rebellious.

Proverbs 22:15 says you should beat your foolish children with a rod.

Just because some one does not believe in a factious being does now mean the don't know right from wrong.

Answer 6

It's a good question.

My moral foundation tends to be from parents, society, custom, empathic response, reasoning, instinct, culture, a developed sense of personal responsibility, rational self-interest, common law, platonic law, etc, etc...

My ethics tend to be more reactionary (cause and effect) and philosophical., moving into the spiritual (belief in a shared existence, cosmological awareness, sense of 'holism', macrocosm, microcosm, ecological responsibility etc )

Hope that partly answers your Q? It is a subject that I could discuss forever and a day and is not well-suited to brief answers.

Thankyou for not being one of the horribly dishonest or thoughtless theists that say:

"Atheists are only atheists because they do not want to take responsibility for their actions"

That kind of accusation makes my blood boil if I'm not careful.

Answer 7

I don't need to belong to a denomination or group to get my Morals; my morals are brought about via my Conscience. Morals are an instinct, the basic element being right and wrong, we have evolved to have these traits as a basic instinct, consciousness defines them

Answer 8

In order to survive, it is beneficial that humans are social. In a society, ethics are needed for social cohesion.

I believe that an absolute moral standard is impossible, but empathy is not.

Answer 9

My mother and those who loved me, raised me to be a moral and ethical human being. That's what I am - and why I am...

The movement I belong to is called "the human race" where we all have respect for each other; our similarities and differences.

Answer 10

Intelligence, same as anyone else. Along with the development of intelligence came an increase in conscious awareness of the benefits and consequences of our actions. One's intelligence mixes with the thousands upon thousands of experiences they go through that shape us throughout their life (nature vs nurture).

Most theological dogma is hardly what I would call a good moral guide.