Nihilism and atheism (Endings)

by dhw, Tuesday, June 03, 2008, 13:00 (6015 days ago)

Cary writes that if there is no "just afterlife", "nihilism is true. NOTHING MATTERS. The fact that I was a damn fool for wasting my life betting on a lie doesn't matter any more than anything else." He also regards atheism as even crazier than "all religions...when followed to their logical conclusions", because "clearly it's nihilistic, and offers no justification for ethics. But more basically, it simply can't explain the existence of anything, much less minds, much less intelligent minds..." - There is so much material for discussion here that I have allocated a separate thread for the theme of "afterlife". On this forum we have already discussed at length the existence of life, intelligent minds etc., though there is no reason at all why it should not be discussed again. - I would like in particular to challenge the claims (a) that nothing matters if there is no just afterlife, and (b) that there is no justification for ethics if there is no God. - (a) For me every minute matters, regardless of whether there is or is not an afterlife, just or unjust. The pleasure of the moment is an end in itself ... and enjoyment is infinitely preferable to unhappiness. Pleasure includes love and friendship, helping other people, recognition by other people, fulfilling whatever gifts I have, indulging in activities I enjoy. It should never include doing harm to myself or to others, which leads me to: - (b) Ethics are essential to the smooth functioning of our society, and they are justified by the fact that at least theoretically they will enable all members of society to enjoy the pleasure of the moment. We do not need God to justify codes that help people to enjoy their lives in a non-injurious manner.