Where can I find atheists arguing about ethics?

Last updated on: September 11, 2012 at 4:54 pm by Leah Libresco

Where can I find atheists arguing about ethics? 2012-09-11T16:54:41-04:00 Leah Libresco

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

After reading “What Atheists and Republican Strategists Have in Common.” one anonymous commenter took issue with my assumption that popular atheists try to act as philosophers.

It’s true that there are tough discussions that need to be had, but I think you give the average atheist – even the average outspoken atheist – too much credit. You’re a bit too quick to discount the possibility that many atheists really don’t have any philosophy because they’ve never had any curiosity about philosophical differences. Hemant Mehta, Greta Christina, and so on do not strike me as people who’ve ever taken an interest in even taking an intro philosophy course. These are bloggers, not philosophers.

So it’s true that atheists only have their lack of belief in god in common. Some are interested in separation of church and state and don’t give a wit about arguments for atheism, or what kinds of views atheists might have about moral philosophy or metaphysics. Some are the exact opposite – they’re interested in arguing for atheism against believers but don’t give a wit about separation of church and state.

I think it’s entirely reasonable, particularly in culture war-America, for atheists to be troubled by church-state conflicts and focus their efforts there. And plenty of legal questions about religions are entirely divorced from the question of God’s existence and metaphysics generally, so the philosophical ignorance or silence of political atheists is not a barrier to their goals. I’ll be the first to admit that I benefit from their work, and I’ve engaged in and continue to work on similar projects.

But right now, what I’m looking for is arguments about atheist philosophy, and there I’m having trouble finding reading material. I’ll be posting a response to my latest read Spiritual Atheism by Steve Antinoff tomorrow (go ahead, take another look at the title and then take a guess as to whether I liked it), and I’m always up for book suggestions, but I’d love to be able to add some more blogs to my roster.

A lot of the Catholic blogs I’ve been following spend a lot of time on ethical case studies drawn from the authors’ day to day lives. They connect these experiences back to their faith and philosophy, using the specific to illuminate the transcendent. Plus, the blogging format allows a lot of discussion and talkback. I’d like to be able to find atheists who write in something approaching this vein. Any suggestions? Pulling off the above technique is a major goal for me when I’m writing this blog, so if you have any feedback for me on that front, I’d love to hear it.

Currently, the most ethically oriented blog I read is Common Sense Atheism which promotes a philosophy called ‘desirism,’ of which I’ll confess I still don’t have a solid understanding. I’ve also bookmarked this essay by Ebonmuse of Daylight Atheism, which I plan to write a response to at some point in the future.

So that’s where I am. Where should I go?

P.S. And to forestall the obvious: I’ve got Sam Harris’s The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values on my nightstand and hope to have a response post up next Sunday.

Atheism

Epistemology/Philosophy

Morality in Practice

atheism is boring

Previous Post

January 7, 2011

7 Quick Takes (1/7/11)

Next Post

January 10, 2011 Ethics Without Other People are Empty

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 7 Quick Takes Apologetics Atheism Book Conversion Debate Tactics Debates Epistemology/Philosophy Housekeeping Ideological Turing Test Marriage Morality in Practice Parsing Catholicism Possibly Heretical Radio Reviews/Recommendations Sequence Index Spiritual Practice Uncategorized

Select a Month April 2017 March 2017 January 2017 December 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

In the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, what did the wise bring?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Bread New clothes Extra oil Wine