Non-theists: From where do you draw your ethics?

[Imagist]

I've been an agnostic for about three years, and an atheist for about a year now. I've worked through most of my issues with Christianity and now feel that I am well-reasoned enough to defend my beliefs thoroughly.

However, I still have an issue with how to define my ethics. Simply copying all from religion except its belief in god makes no sense, since religions often encourage terrible crimes against humanity. David Sloane Wilson argues that one can draw ethics from evolution, but that seems as arbitrary a source of belief as any. Utilitarianism and ethical egoism allow horrible atrocities in situations of disparate power distribution. Kantian deontology is dissatisfying.

Right now I'm experimenting with a mixture of Lockean deontology (people have rights; protect them) and ethical altruism (ethical action is action that helps others). But those aren't really any less arbitrary than evolutionary ethics.

 

[Engyo]

Hello, Imagist -

Buddhist ethics is based on suffering (skt. dukkha) - if a thought, word or action will increase suffering, then it is considered to be a negative or bad choice. Conversely, if a thought, word or action will decrease suffering, then it is considered a good or positive choice.

There are Five Precepts for lay believers in most of the Buddhist traditions, as follows:

Avoid killing
Avoid stealing
Avoid lying
Avoid sexual misconduct
Avoid taking intoxicants (or becoming intoxicated)

These are to be avoided, because they almost invariably result in increased suffering, for both the individual and other living beings.

Just another possible way of measuring ethical behavior.

 

[stacey bo bacey]

I guess not everyone has an innate sense of what's right and wrong. I just rely on that. Do I necessarily have to draw it from somewhere? I just don't do something if it's wrong. And defining wrong...anything that hurts, betrays, embarrasses..

 

[Magic Man]

"Do whatever makes you happy, as long as it harms no one." It works for Wiccans, and it just makes sense. I take my ethics from common sense, logic and reason. If you take things on a case-by-case basis, it's easy. Look at problems without the baggage of cultural opinions. I generally just go by the fact that "doing the right thing" usually leads to a better outcome for you and others. If I am nice when I need help, I am much more likely to get the help I need. For the times that "not doing the right thing" leads to a better outcome for you, if not for others, I use the Golden Rule. Would I want someone else to do that in the same situation? If not, then I shouldn't do it either. If I don't care, or I would want them to do it, then it's OK if I do it.

 

[al haqq al islam]

hello
Ethics is something that requires a systematic process. For example good morals and ethics are not just based on doing good and treating others well this should be normal human behavior which can be inherited through your parents or your sub concious, whether you are an ethiest or a cristian or a muslim, the criteria of ethics can not be based on individuals.But a system of life where the distinduish between the truth and falshood is drawn, only then one can understand the ethics of every situation.
I can explain further if required
thank you Al haqq al islam

 

[Imagist]

Ethics is something that requires a systematic process.

I agree.

For example good morals and ethics are not just based on doing good and treating others well this should be normal human behavior which can be inherited through your parents or your sub concious, whether you are an ethiest or a cristian or a muslim, the criteria of ethics can not be based on individuals.

Why not? And why is this relevant?

But a system of life where the distinduish between the truth and falshood is drawn, only then one can understand the ethics of every situation.

I'm not looking for a perfect solution, because I don't believe that one exists. But a good way of distinguishing between truth and falsehood would be a legitimate prerequisite, I guess. Luckily, we have knowledge and logic. What I'm asking is, where do we go from there?

 

[cheddarsox]

I'm a non-theist, and I've thought about and discussed this issue many times over the years. My ethics come from the same place as everyone else's...a mixture of what I was taught growing up, my culture,my reason, my experiences, my personality, and the complexities of the situation at hand..mood, company, fear, love, lust, etc.

People like to say they don't believe in situational ethics, but truly, I think we all practice them. For each of us, the sources I mention above, hold a different weight, but I have not met a person yet who is influenced by only one source and does not make exceptions according to the situation at hand.

I am a non-theistic pantheist, my faith does not have a set code of ethics, but it is still a huge influence. How I understand my relationship to self, others and the Universe is informed by my faith, and is a large influence on my ethics.

So, my spirituality, my doing the work to think through things, helps me develop an ethical framework, even though my religion doesn't hand me one ready made.

Many people think pantheism neccessarily leads one to to consider themselves a god, but actually, what it keeps informing me is that it's NOT about me,and that I am NOT in charge.

 

[Father Heathen]

Logic coupled with our natural innate empathy and compassion.

 

[UnTheist]

I don't know. Most of it has been taught to me, which are the basics: don't murder, don't steal, don't lie, don't cheat, don't rape, ect, ect. But even all of those will have exceptions
(except the rape part, IMO. I don't think I would ever have a legitimate reason to do that)

And to be honest, if I'm not sure if I would believe those things were wrong if I wasn't taught them by every single person who has influenced me when I was a child, so I can't say that those morals are ingrained in my DNA or hardwired into my brain for sure.

 

[whereismynotecard]

My ethics are to not do anything to other people if I wouldn't like them to do it to me... but only if the person isn't a mean jerk.

 

[logician]

An interesting problem for atheists ( or for anyone really), is that you don't really have to be ethical - so what makes us ethical? Man's laws, fear of being caught if doing something wrong, societal pressure, rules you were taught growing up, long-existing philosophies? I believe all these play a factor.

 

[3.14]

if respect=<100 do not lie, steal, kill or gossip or publicly degrade them
if respect=<50 do not lie kill, steal and treat with same respect you wanna be treated with
if respect=<25 do not tell hard lies, do not steal unless in dire need and don't kill
if respect =<0 do not kill make fun of or harm
if respect=>-0 avoid him, can steal under worth of 5 dollar, can tell white lie
if respect=>-25 can lie, steal and gossip
if respect=>-50 can lie steal gosip and insult
if respect=>-100 can lie steal gossip insult cause minor injure
if respect=>- 1000 can kill

 

[Sunstone]

Perhaps this article can shed some light on the source of ethics for both believers and non-believers. Recent discoveries in psychology seem to indicate the source of ethics for both believers and non-believers is the same.

 

[BucephalusBB]

You could try to start by just following the law in your country.
For the rest, just pick up how people respond to you and you'll find out it makes you happy to make others happy.

 

[want to be hindu]

"Pantheism is sexed-up atheism. " ~ Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion

If this is true then an atheist could build up an ethical system around creating harmony in nature and their fellow man. Any act that creates harmony with our fellow humans and our world is a "good act"
We are all just little pieces of a much larger whole.

 

[gnostic]

My earliest ethics came from my parents. They taught me, what I can grasp at that time, about responsibility. Then I learned some of them at schools. There were many others, including from government, law enforcement, workplace, and even from philosophy and religion.

Any ethics or morals I got from religions, doesn't include or require the "god" factor.

From all of these, I add to my personal mishmash of moral philosophy. They make up of my personal code of conduct and ethics. You have to use also a bit of common sense and logic too.

 

[kai]

Logic coupled with our natural innate empathy and compassion.

thats it for me too, chuck in the laws of the land , upbringing,being taught manners etc school , relationships good and bad , having children , the Army, , and there you have it--------- Kai's morals, learned from the school of hard knocks

 

[Makaveli]

Nulli secundus.

 

[Halcyon]

Logic coupled with our natural innate empathy and compassion.

For me it would be the above, plus the various cultural morals taught to me by my parents and peers - no doubt if I had been born to the same parents in a different country, say Saudi Arabia, I would have a different set of ethical values.

 

[Magic Man]

For me it would be the above, plus the various cultural morals taught to me by my parents and peers - no doubt if I had been born to the same parents in a different country, say Saudi Arabia, I would have a different set of ethical values.

See, I don't feel like I would have different values at this point. I think I might have grown up with different values, but I think I would have broken away from them as I have some of the values I did grow up with.