Nah, Ian, what you are talking is like God talking to the simple minded. Dostoevsky is a bit more complex than him wanting to be reduced to intentions. Times are a-changing, that's right. One shouldn't raise their children in fear of punishment but allow them to learn from experience. An action may cause the reaction of receiving a certain form of punishment, but that is the result of the trial and error approach, not the beginning.
On 3 Apr., 12:39, Ian Pollard <[email protected]> wrote: > I have always viewed Raskolnikov's comment in quite the opposite way to what > Dostoevsky intended it to be taken. If God doesn't exist, then it's time to > move beyond moral agreements based upon baseless superstition: instead let's > base our morality solely on shared human experience and evidence. Time to > evolve. Humanists and Brights argue for this all the time. > > Why be moral without God? By my measure, it's impossible to be truly moral * > with* God since -- by absolute definition -- your morality is a base and > dishonest thing. A low-minded and self-deluding conspiracy. You do good, or > bad, with one eye to celestial judgement or your lot in the next life. In > terms of a discussion on moral philosophy, you ain't even invited to the > table. Your motives can't be trusted. > > I think human-beings are capable of a much more sophisticated morality; > throwing off the shackles of Bronze Age religion is the first step. For a > majority -- until we reach that Star Trek-like utopia -- fear of punishment > is still essential. It would be ridiculous to suggest otherwise. However, > that punishment should be fair, considered, and entirely this-worldly. And > subject to democratic change. > > God is a hindrance to our moral progress, he's done enough damage already. > > Ian --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
