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Politics : Foreign Policy Discussion Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: zonder who wrote (4741)	2/27/2003 10:57:32 AM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 15987

There are natural theories of ethics. Ayn Rand, for example, believed in evil, and she was an atheist. If you believe in respecting the autonomy of others, you don't need to believe in God to believe that it is evil to interfere in the autonomy of others without justification. It is morally wrong to initiate force or fraud against another human being. Extreme moral wrong is evil. Surely you aren't going to argue that only religious people believe in morals? Marcus Aurelius, for example, believed in moral good and moral evil, but was an atheist.

To: zonder who wrote (4741)	2/27/2003 7:37:05 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 15987

OT:The concept of "Evil vs Good" is based on religion. Don't make me dig up links on philosophy for this. Is it now?? Which religion?? Egyptian?? Assyrian?? Buddhism?? Hinduism?? Because the concept of "good and evil" goes back as far written history. Maybe it's just that the majority of books and writings we have from history are primarily religious since they are generally the ones who were literate enough to be able to write it all down.. Look at Australian Aborigines.. They didn't know how to write and they possess a concept of "good vs evil".. (evil spirits.. etc) It may originate solely in the concept of anything that makes us afraid is evil, while anything that makes us feel happy is good... But it strikes me as rather interesting that very few, if any, remote tribes have ever been discovered to be atheistic. There is a primal need for mankind to believe in something greater than ourselves.. In my opinion.. Hawk