Comments | incognito84: :: on goodness and morality

incognito84

:: on goodness and morality

Nov 28, 2006 13:55

One thing I'm really going to miss about this semester is my Argumentation Theory class (and also my Kant class). In the last four or five lectures, we've devoted all of our energy to debates ranging from the existence of God to today's lecture that evolved into a discussion concerning the "purpose" of life, whether or not there can be ( Read more... )

Comments 5

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incognito84 November 28 2006, 17:54:05 UTC

Holy crap, you're home in 9 days?! We have to hang out! Awesome.

Why is it that the collective urge/the urge to do good is never looked at a *cause*, then, of the moral codes of religions? Who says it couldn't be codifying something that *is* in us?

I think that it originally was the cause, but the cause being more than two-thousand years ago and shared by a small group of people in a specific region of the world--and all religion today deriving a large part of its laws based around the two-thousand year old rules, the cause has become effectively irrelevant. For all purpose sake, the Bible is just a really old book.

Scriptures reflect little that is relevant in our society (morally) at all other then the fact that people still buy into them.

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incognito84 November 28 2006, 18:15:55 UTC

Hehe, that's okay.

I don't even think its a matter of defaulting so much as it is of a matter of being indoctrinated in childhood or simply being afraid of being dispelled from the group.

imperfectionist November 29 2006, 00:41:39 UTC

You should definitely read Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion. I saw Dawkins doing some readings from the book at a university in Virginia on YouTube, and then just had to download the PDF version of the book. I want to get a hardback copy, too, though.

Anyways, at least watch the video: Part 1 and Part 2. =) I really think you'll enjoy it; it pertains to what you've discussed here, and Dawkins is both enlightening and hilarious.

Also, in case you didn't know, I'm not a Christian anymore, so... yeah. (See here for juicy detailz.)

incognito84 November 29 2006, 01:29:03 UTC

That is SO weird. Dawkins came up in one of our lectures so I both watched the documentaries ("The Root of All Evil") and ordered his book from Amazon.ca and started reading it two days ago (the God Delusion).

Dawkins is truly inspirational to atheists everywhere (and important for the world). I love how aside from criticizing religion, he takes a sidetrack to speak about how the universe is far more beautiful and subtle than any religion could measure up to and thats why science > religion.

But yes, good timing. If you lived closer I'd mail the book to you when I was done. How are you these days? It's been forever.

imperfectionist November 29 2006, 02:16:40 UTC

he takes a sidetrack to speak about how the universe is far more beautiful and subtle than any religion could measure up to...

Yeah, when someone asked what it would take for him to believe in a higher being, Dawkins said that probably the complexity and perfection of the universe was the closest he'd get, but that that still doesn't convince him. The mathematics in it all is definitely one of the most incredible things to me. Pi is freakin' everywhere.

Speaking of living far away, I was going to send out all these Aus-themed Christmas cards to everyone on my f-list, but then I realised the majority of you live on another continent, and I have no monies. So I understand.

These days I am... mostly happy. I mean, I'm married and I'm beginning to think about all this stuff to do with the ridiculousness of Christianity (stuff that I have put off thinking about for way too long), and I might get into Communications next year so I can become a screen-writer or something. Mostly happy, just not settled as we're still looking for a place ( ... )