Comments on: Morality, Hell, and rambling

By: Debbie

Debbie — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:00:19 +0000

Aristotle delved into why one should behave morally – WITHOUT bringing God or religion into it. If you’re interested in that type of thing, I’d suggest reading his Nicomachean Ethics (it’s very lengthy, fair warning).

Essentially, he says in order to be Happy, one has to be Virtuous – that virtue, as the above poster mentioned in passing, can be courage, honor, wisdom, etc., but it cannot be in “excess or defect” (too much or too little) – such things lead to unhappiness.

If you steal, for example, you are unhappy – you worry that someone will catch you, that you will be imprisoned, or if you have a psychological defect that causes you to be addicted to theft (kleptomania), you are never happy because you’re looking for your next “high.” If you do not steal, though, you would be quiet with happiness – neither desiring to steal nor fearing punishment for stealing.

By: ff42

ff42 — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:34:29 +0000

Why don’t I initiate force (murder, rape, theft) or fraud against others? Because I don’t want others to initiate force/fraud against me. It is so I can live peacefully with others and them with I.

By: Kiera

Kiera — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 08:32:52 +0000

another reason for an atheist to be “Moral” in this day and age is because most of what is immoral is aginst the law.

Laws are near completely based on “Morals” of mostly Christianity. Sex being taboo? Catholicism. Gays aren’t allowed to marry? Or even exist up until the mid 1900′s according to some laws, as butt-sex was illegal. That’s Christianity there.

Things were pretty simple back in Roman times. the rules there were less be moral and more have good qualities. Strength, courage, wisdom, honour, that sort of thing. yet there WERE still laws. it wasn’t a matter of going to heaven or hell, it was a matter of going to jail, being banished, exiled, or at worst, killed.