Tuesday, October 18, 2011

An Argument from Moral Realism to Atheism

In a recent article, Quentin Smith formulates a creative argument for atheism based on the combination of moral realism and infinite spacetime. Smith formulates his argument as follows:
1. Moral realism is true.
2. The universe in which we live is infinite.
3. At least one relevant version of an aggregative theory of values is true.
4. Therefore, God does not exist.
Commenting on the structure of this argument, Smith writes, "Despite appearances, this argument is valid, since the seemingly 'suppressed premises' are implied by the stated premises and thus do not need to be added as separate premises. Even if there is no gratuitous evil, the moral situation of our universe implies that God does not exist."

See Quentin Smith, "Moral Realism and Infinite Spacetime Imply Moral Nihilism", in Dyke, Heather (ed.), 2003, Time and Ethics: Essays at the Intersection, Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 43-54. LINK

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