This is an expression that you will eventually hear (and you may hear it hundreds of times) if you talk with Christian apologists.
Christians will tell you that we humans have an innate moral sense because God gave it to us (Romans 2:14-15).
Humanists, or atheists, believe that people are basically selfish, that is, each of us wants to fulfill our own desires, but we limit that urge because limitation is necessary when we interact with others — in order to survive, and in order for the species to survive. Humans evolved into a social species, and this is a tendency that has proved very useful over the millennia.
Our heroes are people who are strong AND altruistic. These people advance our survival. They exemplify both of our survival needs. This doesn't require any "grounding" beyond it simply being a survival mechanism. You don't need a magic sky Daddy to explain it.
We are biologically wired to appreciate altruism.
The concept of the tendency toward selfishness vs. the tendency toward altruism raises many questions. For instance: What if my son needs a certain rare medicine in order to stay alive — my next-door neighbor has a ready supply — but he is unwilling to share with me? My son is going to die. Is it immoral for me to respect my neighbor's property rights, and not go over and steal the medicine — perhaps killing my son (allowing him to die) in the process? Is it immoral for me to sit by and watch my son slowly die of a disease for which there is a cure — and that cure is right next door, where I could steal it (theft is morally wrong)?
The theist says, "God says that you have to do [X], so you have to do it," but God never speaks to anybody directly — it always comes through a human speaker.
|
|
|