Q&A: Do Atheists Have a Reasonable Alternative Besides Nihilism?
Do Atheists Have a Reasonable Alternative Besides Nihilism?
Question
Hi Michi. An atheist person (who does not believe in religions)—do you agree that the reasonable intellectual option available to him is nihilism? (I’m talking about nihilism in the sense of rejecting values, not the kind that speaks about despair and unwillingness to change.) Thanks.
Answer
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 in my opinion that is plainly inconsistent, then he will act that way, and that is perfectly fine. In short, in the absence of someone who tells him how to act, he does whatever he wants. As befits an atheist. What exactly he wants—that you should ask him, not me. But nihilism is not an obligation even for such a person; it is only an option.
Discussion on Answer
Not only does he not have to, it’s also not the logical thing. Values have no validity in an atheistic world, but if someone feels like living that way, that is perfectly fine. Completely reasonable and logical.
I’ve written more than once that in my opinion there is no way to validate values within an atheistic framework. See column 456.
Of course he doesn’t have to. I’m talking about logic. Is it reasonable to assume the existence of values given atheism?