No, it is still subjective. One must trust one's own intution to distinguish God's morality. If you say 'this book is God's word' you are saying you have the intuitive skill to recognize God's word and know that book is his word and not this other one. There is no escaping a tremendous faith in oneself when coming to morality.
Well, you don't gotta' lie, pal, but you better be able to spin your strenghts as something amazing and your faults as something that, if not something that forces you to develop new strengths, are at least compensated by them. ~String
it all depends on the circumstances. if i had to lie in order to prevent someone being abducted by the government then yes, but i wouldnt lie to someone and say "smoking causes aliens to eat your eyes" to prevent them getting cancer.
Too much punctuation. I'm American, remember? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! So atheists can't be moral, or have morals, because they don't believe? What about those whom hold themselves to a high moral standard based on the morals and laws of a given society. It doesn't take a religion to dictate what right and wrong are. They are subjective terms, but I always knew right from wrong even before I knew what religion was.
Aren't you in Iraq? Your moral standards leave much to be desired. Sorry, I'm not even remotely convinced.
What on Earth does the behaviour of the Dutch have to do with lying, or Emnos' comment, for that matter? I mean honestly, S.A.M, do you take some sort of sadistic pleasure in getting a rise out of people by making irrelevant jabs in regards to their nation's actions? This is precisely why people can't stand to have a discussion with you for prolonged period. And Emnos isn't even an asshole, he's not an antagonistic GeoffP or (Q) (or even mountain hare), he's just a liberal pussy. But back on topic. As an atheist, I do think lying is warranted in particular cases. But IMHO, it is never acceptable to lie to yourself. Engaging in self-deception is always harmful and counterproductive.
Oh look we agree on something. If you live long enough, anything is possible, eh?Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Shameless hussy. :bugeye:
Actually I think it is sometimes good to lie to yourself. In the long run it is best to unravel them, but for periods of time..... For one thing it is easier to lie to others if you, yourself, to some degree believe the lie. I'm imagining situations like black americans in sharecropper South, where honesty with others (at least a significant postion of the white population) is obviously extremely dangerous. I think it is very hard to demand of the self that it keep track of the lie and the truth the whole time and perhaps even dangerous. A skilled actor does become the character at least temporarily and to some degree. You can see this in actor interviews in the special features of DVDs where even the evil characters are described in terms that would be rather off if the actor was objective and not immersed. And immersed long after production.
Of course. If a lynch mob is chasing you you have to decide if leaping in the raging river is the best choice. We sometimes do not have the luxury of the safe choice. This actually backs up my case. We have both agreed that lying can be the moral and smart option in certain situations. If those situations are long term, to demand that one not lie to oneself can be dangerous.
Doing the right thing sometimes means that telling a lie is better than not telling one. Did you not know this, SAM?
I know it, I'm just discovering that not everyone else does. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
