Good Minus God: The Moral Atheist - Comprehensive Study Notes

Atheism and Nihilism Confusion: A common misconception is that atheism implies nihilism—the rejection of morality. Many believe that without God, a person must be indifferent to right and wrong.
Lexical Associations: The dictionary reflects this bias, listing "wicked" as a synonym for "godless."
The Dostoevsky Misquote: It is often falsely attributed to Dostoevsky that "if God is dead, everything is permitted." Louise M. Antony clarifies that Dostoevsky never said this, and the sentiment is not inherent to atheism.
Social Standing of Atheists: Political scientists Robert Putnam and David Campbell noted that while atheists were once the most reviled group in the United States, they have recently been overtaken by the Tea Party.

Nihilistic Atheism: This subset of atheists views morality as a "fairy tale" used to control "innate, bestial selfishness." - Incentive Structure: They believe objective "oughts" disappear without a universal enforcer to provide rewards or punishments in the afterlife. - The Hobbesian View: This reflects Thomas Hobbes's perspective on the state of nature, where "the notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice have no place" because there is no common power or law.
Moralistic Atheism: Antony and many other atheists reject the Hobbesian view. - Immanent Value: Moral value is seen as immanent in the natural world. - Source of Morality: It arises from the vulnerabilities of sentient beings and the capacity of rational beings to recognize and respond to those vulnerabilities and the capacities of others.

Definition: D.C.T. is the view that what is morally good is constituted entirely by what God commands.
Alleged Advantages of D.C.T.: - Objectivity: It explains how moral truths can be independent of human attitudes, will, or knowledge. - Universality: Because God is omnipresent, His commands apply to all people, in all places, at all times. - Infallibility: We can be mistaken about what is good because we can be ignorant of God's will.
The Critique of D.C.T.: Antony argues that while D.C.T. explains objectivity, it does not explain morality. If morality is just the command of a powerful being, it bears the same features as the commands of a tyrant.

The Socratic Question: In Plato's "Euthyphro," Socrates asks: "Are the pious acts pious because they are loved by the gods, or are the pious acts loved by the gods because they are pious?"
Divine Independence Theory (D.I.T.): This is the view that goodness is a substantive property inherent in an action, independent of and antecedent to God's will. - God’s Goodness: Under D.I.T., God’s goodness consists of His choosing all and only the things that are already good. - Catholic Counter-Example: Antony notes that her Catholic upbringing taught that God is good because of the things He commands (e.g., charity). If charity weren't good on its own, God wouldn't receive credit for making it a duty.
Analogies for D.C.T.: Antony compares D.C.T.'s version of goodness to being at "zero degrees longitude" at the Prime Meridian or "three strikes making an out" in baseball—these are true by definition and convention, not due to an inherent moral quality.

Contingency Problem: If morality depends on God, then if God did not exist, atrocities like slavery, genocide, and torture would not be "wrong."
Devaluation of Personal Relations: Antony argues that D.C.T. implies human beings have no inherent worth. - Metaphor of Objects: Our concern for loved ones would have no more ethical significance than concern for a boat or a car. - The Child Example: Imagine telling a child they are only loved out of duty to the father's preferences, not because the child is inherently lovable.
The Problem of Worship: If "good" is merely what God commands, there is no moral reason to obey Him, only prudential (self-interested) reasons. One might flatter a tyrant out of fear of power, but the tyrant is not "deserving" of praise in a moral sense.

Loss of Redemption: Antony concedes that atheists lose the guarantee of redemption. There is no promise of divine forgiveness for morally terrible acts for which one cannot make amends.
Surpassing Importance of Choice: Rather than making life insignificant, Antony argues atheism makes human choices "surpassingly important." - Finality: Without a safety net of divine forgiveness, every choice contributes to the only value a life can have.