Humanism, opinions please

[Benadam]

Originally Posted by Peregrino

Does it matter if it rises above this standard? In the end we live our life by our choices. We can't prove anything about what happens after death. If humanism helps us live together better as a species, it seems to me that this is a good thing. Surely the blood shed in the name of humanism is less than the amount of blood shed in the name of God and religion...

It matters if life has purpose. If in fact it does not then humanism is indeed transcendant because it's goals are made conscious and tend towards the same purposes previously established in mammalianism. To pleasantly survive. It could more appropriately be called mammalianism or animalism even because the power to emote and seek feelings of well being were established long ago in them, and it follows according to humanism, are a mechanism to survive.

[bogeydogg]

Originally Posted by Peregrino

Its not like we can "prove" the existence of God in any objective sense. "God-exists" is a meta-truth in this sense. If we can function as though humanity is valuable in the absence of "authority" (since you think this is necessary-I don't) isn't it even more meaningful for those of us with faith in God?

Your second paragraph makes a nice point. This "existential dilemma" of the insignificance of humanity given (for the atheist) our origins and telos in meaninglessness would in my eyes make human existence something completely priceless. It doesn't seem to be a problem to me at all.

"Why should that be" is the ultimate question that confronts us. Some of us answer that with God, some with science, some don't think an answer is necessary and either attempt to live their lives in a moral fashion (using a criteria they choose) or just live it up....

I did not mean to say that the value of something is based upon the authority which rules over it. I was sloppy. What I meant was that apart from an authoritative declaration of value of a thing of any sort, the value of anything would be completely subjective and of little value in reality. I think life is extremely valuable and in my experience it seems a lot of other people do too. However, I do not posit this as proof positive that God exists only that this shared idea of value is meaningless, ultimately, if there is nothing higher to support the idea.