Where does an Atheist get their morals?

Many religions claim to be the source of a moral code. These morals typically come from a holy book that is direct word of a supreme being.

Atheism is just a lack of believe in a supernatural being and has no bearing on a person’s morals. As humans we have a natural tendency towards care for the well being of ourselves and others. This behaviour is common not only in humans, but also throughout the animal world. Many Atheists also identify as humanist or at least hold many of the principals:

• There are no supernatural beings.
• The material universe is the only thing that exists.
• Science provides the only reliable source of knowledge about this universe.
• We only live this life - there is no after-life, and no such thing as reincarnation.
• Human beings can live ethical and fulfilling lives without religious beliefs.
• Human beings derive their moral code from the lessons of history, personal experience, and thought.

Atheists do not need the threat of eternal damnation to be good.

Morality is a human (and some animals) trait, without it civilisation could never have developed. Religion developed within civilisation and stole the concept of morality, bastardised it to exclude those who did not bow down (and kill) for a particular god or gods.

@Brookhousek

Hi, welcome to RF, sit back, relax and enjoy the cake




I see your avatar shows you are in Cheshire. Im a Lancashire lass, hubby from Bowden.

@Altfish is one of us north westerners too.

Most atheists largely get their morals from the culture they are socialised into, or another one they are exposed to. In this sense, there is no real difference between them and religious people.

Brookhousek said:

Many religions claim to be the source of a moral code. These morals typically come from a holy book that is direct word of a supreme being.

If we take the teachings of Christianity for example the bible contains many immoral ideas and a god who to quote Richard Dawkins is: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully. This is not really a character to look to for moral guidance.

Atheism is just a lack of believe in a supernatural being and has no bearing on a person’s morals. As humans we have a natural tendency towards care for the well being of ourselves and others. This behaviour is common not only in humans, but also throughout the animal world. Many Atheists also identify as humanist or at least hold many of the principals:

• There are no supernatural beings.
• The material universe is the only thing that exists.
• Science provides the only reliable source of knowledge about this universe.
• We only live this life - there is no after-life, and no such thing as reincarnation.
• Human beings can live ethical and fulfilling lives without religious beliefs.
• Human beings derive their moral code from the lessons of history, personal experience, and thought.

Click to expand...

As you are new, just a heads up in case you are not aware (if you are you can ignore this ).

This is the atheist DIR forum, and the DIRs are only for people who belong to that designation, so only atheists can post here.

If you would like to discuss with non-atheists, one of the general forums would be better.

I get my morals from my collective life experiences. And I'd argue that I do a fine job at it.

Also, welcome to RF!

Brookhousek said:

Many religions claim to be the source of a moral code. These morals typically come from a holy book that is direct word of a supreme being.

If we take the teachings of Christianity for example the bible contains many immoral ideas and a god who to quote Richard Dawkins is: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully. This is not really a character to look to for moral guidance.

Atheism is just a lack of believe in a supernatural being and has no bearing on a person’s morals. As humans we have a natural tendency towards care for the well being of ourselves and others. This behaviour is common not only in humans, but also throughout the animal world. Many Atheists also identify as humanist or at least hold many of the principals:

• There are no supernatural beings.
• The material universe is the only thing that exists.
• Science provides the only reliable source of knowledge about this universe.
• We only live this life - there is no after-life, and no such thing as reincarnation.
• Human beings can live ethical and fulfilling lives without religious beliefs.
• Human beings derive their moral code from the lessons of history, personal experience, and thought.

Click to expand...

I get my morals from my culture, personal experiences, things I've learned that work or doesn't work, loved ones, and just walking out my door or looking at in my mailbox to say "figures" as in everything is going well, until boom! Great way to perceive how much you just can't predict and plan things out to the T. Too much variables.

Reason and compassion. We're social, empathic creatures.

My sense of morality comes from a universal human subjective desire for well-being and objective methods for increasing that well-being and decreasing suffering in the world. Sometimes short-term pain is justified for longer term well-being. Sometimes it’s best to just take joy in the moment. Sometimes I’ll perform random acts of kindness just because happiness is contagious.

My morality was developed from my parents first, expanding to my schooling then our society eventually learning and encompassing the world. Empathy is either innate or developed but either way, drives our ability to see and feel others pain and suffering and understanding that we don’t like it for ourselves nor for others. Empathy seems to vary by person, some having little and some have quite a bit. We recognize that a total lack of empathy is abnormal.

I remember reading ages ago that one of the best ways to exert authority over a group is to control their sexuality. Most major religions do this in varying degrees yet it is also the most violated rule. Our sexuality seems to be stronger than the dictates of any God! Once outside religious bonds, being free to explore our own sexuality in all its shades of grays is one of the most freeing aspects of leaving religion. Yet still, we innately understand that we must have consent in sex...we still have a moral constraint in our explorations.

Morality, like most ideas, begins in our rational and emotional brain.

Brookhousek said:

Many Atheists also identify as humanist or at least hold many of the principals:

• There are no supernatural beings.
• The material universe is the only thing that exists.
• Science provides the only reliable source of knowledge about this universe.
• We only live this life - there is no after-life, and no such thing as reincarnation.
• Human beings can live ethical and fulfilling lives without religious beliefs.
• Human beings derive their moral code from the lessons of history, personal experience, and thought.

Click to expand...

I think moral beliefs arise from values, such as valuing life, valuing altruism, etc. I don't think we're in conscious control of what our values are: doxastic voluntarism seems to me to be false. I can't just will myself to value different things than I value. Values do seem like they can change over time due to experiences, but again I don't think we have any conscious input into that process.

So we have values, and from those values, our moral beliefs are informed.

For me morals are completely situational and are derived from culture and environment. Sadly the only absolute moral standard is might is right, this being the only one truly enforceable.

Morality derives from religion. Morality is genetic. Morality is a social construction. Morality results from rational choices. I feel like all these are pretty mild descriptions. Morality results from a complex interaction of genes, neural processes, and social interactions. All organisms have genes that enable them to survive and reproduce, but mammals also have genes to produce the chemical oxytocin and vasopressin, which prompt them to care for their young. In some mammals such as humans, the same chemicals encourage animals to form long term relationships and to care for each other. Such caring is the biological root of morality, which also has many social roots. Valuable social practices such as cooperation can develop when people care about each other. Early humans lived in small groups of around 100 people, but expansion of groups as the result of agriculture and the development of intellectual ideals expanded compassion, sympathy, and empathy beyond people’s immediate group. Eventually, ethical theories were formulated that turned care for others into universal principles, as in the doctrines that morality is based on the rights of all people or on the consequences that affect everyone. Moral norms are shaped by four interlocking brain processes: caring, recognition of other’s psychological states, learning social practices, and problem solving in a social context. Hence the origins of morality are both neural and social.

How does morality work in the brain? A functional and structural perspective of moral behavior

How does morality work in the brain? A functional and structural perspective of moral behavior

I got my morals in a cereal packet as a prize, back in my formative years.
We were too poor to have had morals before that, and hadn't realised what we were missing.

Since then, though, it's been full steam ahead. I'm well aware not to mix Rice Bubbles and Cocoa Pops, for example.

OK the gig is up. It's true.

We atheists breath necro fire and steal babies from the puritans for profit to fuel our evil nefarious morally lacking existance.

Oh, if we only learned to read a book. This lifestyle would have never happened.

Morality is coöperation and not doing harm. We got it through natural selection, like any other useful trait.

Either humans are capable of determining the difference between moral rectitude or turpitude, or we are not. If we are, then why would we need divine diktat at all? If we are not, then how can anyone assert any deity's commands are in fact moral? Beyond subjective assertion of course.

My subjective view is that our morals should try and avoid, and as far as is possible prevent, all unnecessary suffering. Certainly in humans, and to a lesser extent all conscious animals.

From there I can try to make objective assessments of how "moral" actions are.

Twilight Hue said:

OK the gig is up. It's true.

We atheists breath necro fire and steal babies from the puritans for profit to fuel our evil nefarious morally lacking existance.

Click to expand...

SShhhh ffs dude, they're looking straight at us.

Nothing to see here, nothing at all, move along...