Is morality possible without God

[Zottistan]

You do not need someone or something to tell you the difference between right and wrong, you learn right and wrong through your own interpretation of the world.

But that's basically nihilism, can morals be objective if it's up to you to interpret them yourself?

Morality is subjective whether you receive it from an authority figures or from a yourself. Morality systems given by a God figure are just that God figure's subjective moral systems.

[Dyakovo]

We don't have any more reason to believe that a god who punishes murder exists rather than a god who rewards murder. What, if anything, happens to your consciousness after you die is a complete crapshoot.

it depends on who you ask, some people are convinced of God's existence

No, it doesn't, and what some people are convinced of is wholly irrelevant to what is.

[Adnan Nawaz And Bureacrats Elsewhere]

I remember a guy saying once "a deed done out of fear has no moral value", or something like that. That holds with me. If you're getting threatened by a omnipotent guy with a big stick, it's not your choice what you do. You do what the omnipotent guy with the big stick wants you to do, and you become an instrument in someone else's plans.

Morality can only be possible with autonomy. I agree with the above statement.

[Sun Wukong]

That is both saddening and brutally honest.

Thank you. I pride myself on my honesty. Though, why is that saddening? I am technically agnostic, but I am choosing to still believe in some authority because I cannot imagine a morality with a God, even though I lack belief in the Gods others worship.

It's strange that you could pride yourself on honesty, while taking such a knowingly intellectually dishonest stance. Hence saddening.

[Felkinia]

No. Morality revolves around the idea of a deity.

Bullshit.

Indeed, you could set your own morality by your own morals...

Which everyone does anyway.

...but then again, where do we get morals?

Science. Biology. Evolution. Sentience. Empathy.

Why is murder wrong?

If you do not know the answer to this question, you may want to seek psychological help.

If you would be so kind, please elaborate as to why you hold this stance, instead of posting one pithy word which does a terrible job of supporting your argument.

Of course you can feel differently about something, it is just that there are some morals most people share. Why?

Basing your moral footing of science is not possible. Science doesn't have a moral code.

Obviously, you failed to obtain the simple knowledge that this was a rhetorical question.
It was more to see your answer.

[New DeCapito]

Bullshit.

Which everyone does anyway.

Science. Biology. Evolution. Sentience. Empathy.

If you do not know the answer to this question, you may want to seek psychological help.

If you would be so kind, please elaborate as to why you hold this stance, instead of posting one pithy word which does a terrible job of supporting your argument.

Of course you can feel differently about something, it is just that there are some morals most people share. Why?

Basing your moral footing of science is not possible. Science doesn't have a moral code.

Obviously, you failed to obtain the simple knowledge that this was a rhetorical question.
It was more to see your answer.

Why the hell are you posing rhetorical questions in a debate thread? Someone's not going to get that. I know I didn't.
And please, do not use a question to prove your point. It tends not to work, because then it gets answered.
EDIT: Oh, and yes. Morals 'most people share'. That's completely natural. People do not like seeing a mutilated corpse because it sparks our primeval fears of disease and death. There is nothing everyone agrees on.

[Crysuko]

Yes, it is indeed possible for non-theistic morality to exist. see: 99.99999999% of atheists.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

Bullshit.

Which everyone does anyway.

Science. Biology. Evolution. Sentience. Empathy.

If you do not know the answer to this question, you may want to seek psychological help.

If you would be so kind, please elaborate as to why you hold this stance, instead of posting one pithy word which does a terrible job of supporting your argument.

Of course you can feel differently about something, it is just that there are some morals most people share. Why?

Basing your moral footing of science is not possible. Science doesn't have a moral code.

Obviously, you failed to obtain the simple knowledge that this was a rhetorical question.
It was more to see your answer.

Umm... Science may not have a moral code, but we know we have a moral code because it benefits us as a species.

[Russels Orbiting Teapot]

Of course you can feel differently about something, it is just that there are some morals most people share. Why?

I already explained that. We have desires, empathy allows us to see that other people have similar desires, and logic allows usnto see that our desires are not more important than theirs.

[The Emerald Legion]

But that's basically nihilism, can morals be objective if it's up to you to interpret them yourself?

Morality is subjective whether you receive it from an authority figures or from a yourself. Morality systems given by a God figure are just that God figure's subjective moral systems.

Subjectivity is a falsehood concocted to imply that peoples minds are more than just organic machines.

[Crysuko]

Morality is subjective whether you receive it from an authority figures or from a yourself. Morality systems given by a God figure are just that God figure's subjective moral systems.

Subjectivity is a falsehood concocted to imply that peoples minds are more than just organic machines.

can you prove otherwise?

[Prussia-Steinbach]

That is both saddening and brutally honest.

Thank you. I pride myself on my honesty. Though, why is that saddening? I am technically agnostic, but I am choosing to still believe in some authority because I cannot imagine a morality with a God, even though I lack belief in the Gods others worship.

Someone only having belief in something out of fear, and lacking strong enough mental constitution to handle existence devoid of a deity, is a saddening thing.

[Rhyfelnydd]

Morality is subjective whether you receive it from an authority figures or from a yourself. Morality systems given by a God figure are just that God figure's subjective moral systems.

Subjectivity is a falsehood concocted to imply that peoples minds are more than just organic machines.

Considering peoples minds dont all function exactly the same like mass produced machinery, don't really get where you're coming from.

[Prussia-Steinbach]

Actually, never mind.

[Crysuko]

can you prove otherwise?

The fact that everyone's brain works differently, that every culture has at least mildly different societal mores/cultural morals, and that systems of morality largely seemed to have developed from environmental situations and such, is a strong indicator that any supposed "subjectivity" is entirely nonexistent.

I was pressuring him, not supporting him

[Prussia-Steinbach]

The fact that everyone's brain works differently, that every culture has at least mildly different societal mores/cultural morals, and that systems of morality largely seemed to have developed from environmental situations and such, is a strong indicator that any supposed "subjectivity" is entirely nonexistent.

I was pressuring him, not supporting him

I seriously doubt the existence (or lack thereof) of the principles known as objectivity and subjectivity can be empirically proven.

[Tad I 43]

I was pressuring him, not supporting him

I seriously doubt the existence (or lack thereof) of the principles known as objectivity and subjectivity can be empirically proven.

Interesting please elaborate!

[The Emerald Legion]

Subjectivity is a falsehood concocted to imply that peoples minds are more than just organic machines.

can you prove otherwise?

Physics. The human brain is an organic computer. The computations made by that computer are physical phenomena that, theoretically, could be read like a hard-drive. In a sense, this is what a CAT scan does. Reads your brain.

Once you have it understood that your brain is a physical thing and that all the products of it's computations are caused by physical phenomena, the idea that everyone's thoughts aren't 'real' is silly.

The idea that just because some people recieved different inputs and thus behave differently than others means that we should just disregard everything in that sphere is only really useful when trying to get people operating on clashing worldviews to work together.

[Dyakovo]

can you prove otherwise?

Physics. The human brain is an organic computer. The computations made by that computer are physical phenomena that, theoretically, could be read like a hard-drive. In a sense, this is what a CAT scan does. Reads your brain.

Once you have it understood that your brain is a physical thing and that all the products of it's computations are caused by physical phenomena, the idea that everyone's thoughts aren't 'real' is silly.

The idea that just because some people recieved different inputs and thus behave differently than others means that we should just disregard everything in that sphere is only really useful when trying to get people operating on clashing worldviews to work together.

Saying morality is subjective is not saying that thoughts aren't real...

[Tmutarakhan]

I remember a guy saying once "a deed done out of fear has no moral value", or something like that. That holds with me. If you're getting threatened by a omnipotent guy with a big stick, it's not your choice what you do. You do what the omnipotent guy with the big stick wants you to do, and you become an instrument in someone else's plans.

Morality can only be possible with autonomy. I agree with the above statement.

^This. Morality is not possible WITH God.

[Infected Mushroom]

it depends on who you ask, some people are convinced of God's existence

No, it doesn't, and what some people are convinced of is wholly irrelevant to what is.

You can't say that with any degree of certainty.

It could be possible that some individuals can will things into existence through their beliefs. There are folk traditions that depict gods and creatures getting their power from the number of people who worship/believe in their existence.

When we're dealing with the supernatural, anything is possible. I prefer to keep an open mind.

[Aethrys]

In a word, yes.

[Russels Orbiting Teapot]

You can't say that with any degree of certainty.

It could be possible that some individuals can will things into existence through their beliefs. There are folk traditions that depict gods and creatures getting their power from the number of people who worship/believe in their existence.

When we're dealing with the supernatural, anything is possible. I prefer to keep an open mind.

If anything is really possible, then the only thing that becomes impossible is predicting what will happen in the future. There could be a psychic forcing you to live in his dream world right now and everything you experience could be an illusion.

You've got to learn to shave with Occom's Razor in order to function in the world.

[Imperializt Russia]

Do you think the Jews made it all the way to Sinai without knowing that murder was wrong?

Well, then why do you think God ordered Moses to erect the tablets?

Because it didn't happen.

[Neutraligon]

Do you think the Jews made it all the way to Sinai without knowing that murder was wrong?

Well, then why do you think God ordered Moses to erect the tablets?

Considering Moses looked around to make sure no one saw before he killed the Egyptian, it is pretty obvious he knew before the tablets that killing was wrong.