Question:

The main thing that bothers me is the view of amorality. What do you say
to someone that doesn’t believe (sometimes due to apparent “lack of
evidence”) in such things as “good” and “evil” hanging around out there
anywhere? Sure they will admit that things happen that are both helpful
and detrimental to a person or group of people’s physical and/or mental
state, but they do not subscribe to any type of moral code because they
either boil humans’ moral systems down to a desire to protect the “peace”
or they see a religious moral code as a thing that is really unfounded in
reality due to lack of evidence. Just because someone’s act could benefit
or hurt you and/or others wouldn’t mean it was automatically part of an
irrefutable, God-given code of morals. It would be desire; nothing
different from someone desiring to prevent acts a society deemed “
beneficial” or “right” (or from someone actually committing an act some
view as “bad” or “wrong”). I seems to me that while these people can exist
safely in society, they just don’t believe in right and wrong at all.
Finally, what about some people who completely lack a sense to consider
ANYTHING “right” or “wrong” (a conscience, if you will) – sociopaths,
psychopaths, etc.?

Answer:

My reply is that there is no one who really believes that there is no such
thing as good and evil. Just listen to the words of a person who makes
such claims. He or she will eventually betray the truth, which is that
belief in some sort of moral good and truth is universal, even to those
who claim not to accept it. The died in the wool materialist has an
irrepressible sense that certain things are wrong, inhumane, evil. All
their talk to the contrary is just so much philosophical babble.

Even atheists will say that it is bad for believers to force their ideas
on unbelievers. Why is it bad? For that matter, what is wrong with
murder, lying and cheating? Why are they so upset with religious people
trying to force their beliefs on them? There is nothing wrong with
manipulating people, according to these people, so what are they
complaining about? The people you describe have nothing against
sociopaths or megalomaniac dictators or the perpetrators of mass murder
and genocide. Such behavior is just one of many random acts of ramdomly
created, meaningless life. I say away with such nonsensical ideas. Even
the perpetrators of such ideas do not even believe in their own arguments
when the rubber meets the road.

I am well aware that some materialists hold that all our ideas of good and
evil are simply a human creation. According to such people, any common
ideas about social norms are either historical creations, remnant of
superstitious taboos or are the result of the effects on evolution on a
group of social animals. These arguments are simply bogus. The human
heart cannot stand for such nonsense.

About sociopaths and the like, I am not an expert on the psychology of
such people. I believe you are better off asking someone who knows what
they are talking about in this area. Clearly such people exist. What is
the issue which causes you to ask this question? Obviously these people
are sick and they are dangerous. They are “bad.” Even the supposed
believer that there is no such thing as moral absolutes or as absolute
ethical standards knows that sociopaths are evil and dangerous.

John Oakes, PhD