According to the sources, atheism struggles to provide a logical foundation for objective moral values because it views the universe as a purely materialistic system governed by purposeless mechanisms. The sources highlight several ways atheists attempt to address this issue:
1. Denial of Objective Morality (Moral Nihilism)
Several prominent atheistic thinkers cited in the sources argue that if there is no God, objective moral values simply do not exist.
- Richard Dawkins: He asserts that the universe has “no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but pitiless indifference”. In his view, humans are merely “survival machines” dancing to the music of their DNA, which “neither cares nor knows”.
- William Provine: He explicitly states that in a naturalistic universe, “no inherent moral or ethical laws exist” and there are no absolute guiding principles for society.
- Jean-Paul Sartre: He recognized that without God, there are no “values or commands that could legitimise our behaviour,” concluding that “everything is indeed permitted”.
2. Evolutionary and Biological Determinism
The sources suggest that atheism often attempts to explain moral behavior as a byproduct of evolutionary survival instincts rather than objective truth.
- Heredity and Environment: William Provine argues that human choices are determined by the interaction of heredity and environment rather than free will.
- Biological Traits: Some researchers, like Randy Thornhill, have attempted to explain even heinous acts like rape as “evolutionary, biological and natural,” arguing it was a tool used by male ancestors to obtain mates.
- Animal Heritage: The sources note that atheistic textbooks frequently remind students they are animals (descended from bacteria or sharing heritage with earthworms), implying that human morality is no more “objective” than the behavior of a pig or a killer whale.
3. Morality as a “Metaphysical Mystery”
Some atheists admit they rely on moral values but cannot explain them scientifically. Edward Slingerland is quoted describing human rights as “purely metaphysical entities” as mysterious as the “holy trinity,” noting that you cannot find them in a CT scan or by cutting someone open.
4. Situational Ethics
Rather than objective values, some atheists propose that all morality is situational.
- Dan Barker: He argues that “there is not an action that is right or wrong” in an absolute sense. He suggests that even an act like rape could be “permissible” under extreme, hypothetical circumstances, such as saving humanity from alien invaders.
5. The “Meme” or “Virus” Theory
In an attempt to explain why humans feel so strongly about morality and religion, some atheists like Richard Dawkins and Darrell Ray characterize these ideas as “mental viruses” or “memes”. They argue these ideas replicate themselves from host to host for their own survival, even if they are “wasteful” or “costly” to the humans who hold them.
The sources conclude that these attempts fail to provide a “legitimate objective standard”. They argue that atheism’s logical end is a world where individuals are “meat robots” following raw impulses, making it impossible to truly condemn any action—including genocide or child abuse—as objectively “evil”.