Do atheists have a reasonable alternative other than nihilism?
Hi Miki. An atheist (who does not believe in religions) do you agree that the reasonable intellectual option to turn to is nihilism? (I am talking about the nihilism of rejecting values, not the kind that speaks of despair and unwillingness to change). thanks.
No. Such an atheist can do whatever he wants. If he is interested in nihilism, then that is what he will do. But if there is another atheist who is interested in a moral way of life, even though I think it is clearly inconsistent, then he will act that way, and that is perfectly fine. In short, in the absence of anyone telling him what to do, he does whatever he wants. As befits an atheist. What exactly he wants, that should be asked of him, not me. But nihilism is not an obligation for such a person either, but only a possibility.
Of course he doesn't have to. I'm talking about logic. Is it reasonable to assume the existence of values given atheism?
Not only does he not have to, but it is also not the logical thing to do. Values have no validity in an atheist world, but if someone wants to act that way, that is perfectly fine. Completely reasonable and logical.
I have written more than once that in my opinion it is impossible to validate values in an atheistic framework. See column 456.
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