Is Goodness Without God Good Enough: A Debate on Faith, Secularism, and Ethics
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
Morality and religion: intimately wed, violently opposed, or something else? Discussion of this issue appears in pop culture, the academy, and the media—often generating radically opposed views. At one end of the spectrum are those who think that unless God exists, ethics is unfounded and the moral life is unmotivated. At the other end are those who think that religious belief is unnecessary for—and even a threat to—ethical knowledge and the moral life. This volume provides an accessible, charitable discussion that represents a range of views along this spectrum. The book begins with a lively debate between Paul Kurtz and William Lane Craig on the question, Is goodness without God good enough? Kurtz defends the affirmative position and Craig the negative. Following the debate are new essays by prominent scholars. These essays comment on the debate and advance the broader discussion of religion and morality. The book closes with final responses from Kurtz and Craig.
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Top Highlights
“Ironically, however, it is precisely humanists themselves who seek to find a special place for the human species in the scheme of things, who refuse to accept the full implications of reducing human beings to just another animal species. For humanists continue to treat human beings as morally special in contrast to other species.” (Page 31)
“The literature in evolutionary psychology is instructive here.[14] We can find in nonhuman animals precursors, in a sense, of altruism, but we do not find full altruism of the Good Samaritan kind, where the Good Samaritan sacrifices himself for an enemy in need.[15] I will call this ‘Good Samaritan altruism.’” (Page 89)
“Humanists believe that happiness here and now is our basic good—not salvation in the afterlife. This life is not simply a preparation for some future eternal state. It is intrinsically good in itself. And as a result, we should strive for creative joy, actualizing our potentialities, realizing excellence.” (Page 28)
“Theism maintains that moral values are grounded in God. Humanism maintains that moral values are grounded in human beings. And nihilism maintains that moral values have no ground at all and are therefore ultimately illusory and nonbinding.” (Page 30)
“There are objective standards that we can use. But these standards are, of course, relative to human interests and needs, and they change over time.” (Page 35)