Literature on Morality

[John Travolta]

More specifically from a non-religious standpoint. I need recommendations. Don't automatically recommend Nietzsche, I've already read the On The Genealogy of Morals and it seemed too forceful. I'm not looking to find a book that criticizes Christianity or religion. Or one that explains the futility of the search of meaning or of God, I'm looking for one that gives answers.

"Why should atheists be moral?", "What reason is there for non-believers to be good and moral?" are questions I would like to see addressed in the books suggested. I already have opinions on the subject but I'd like to see it from a different standpoint. Y/N.

[Alphawolf29]

More specifically from a non-religious standpoint. I need recommendations. Don't automatically recommend Nietzsche, I've already read the On The Genealogy of Morals and it seemed too forceful. I'm not looking to find a book that criticizes Christianity or religion. Or one that explains the futility of the search of meaning or of God, I'm looking for one that gives answers.

"Why should atheists be moral?", "What reason is there for non-believers to be good and moral?" are questions I would like to see addressed in the books suggested. I already have opinions on the subject but I'd like to see it from a different standpoint. Y/N.

I hope they serve beer in hell.

It actually serves as a decent narrative on the subject.

[blltmssgy]

Anything written by Albert Camus. The guy is brilliant; I absolutely love his novels. Although The Stranger is his most famous piece, The Plague is my favorite of his. I've read three of his books and loved every second of them, starting on two more soon.

Don't know too much about Jean-Paul Sartre, but he is also supposed to be really good and I recently bought Nausea to read. Nausea is supposedly what made the word not only mean feeling sick to your stomach, but also to mean feeling sick with the world.

[John Travolta]

I've read almost everything by Albert Camus. He is completely brilliant but the moral of most of his stories are "life is about the present."

[theblueneutrino]

Harry potter, perhaps?


With regards to questions concerning what binds atheists to morality, Brave New World was the first book that sprang to mind, especially the argument between Mustafa Mond and John in the final third of the book.

[Mr.Tea]

You did mention that you did not want to read Nietzsche, but Genealogy of Morals was rather rancid and dull, Thus Spoke Zarathustra was extremely interesting as it was told in the vantage point similar to a narrative. Most of the topics do not revolve around morals as much, but the parts that do are very engaging.

[Matt]

I'm sure you're already familiar with him, but Immanuel Kant has always been my favorite philosopher, with a very large focus on morality.

[Haggis McSpud]

Try Mein Kampf (My Struggle) by Adolf Hitler.

[timbot]

I'm going to sound like a fan boy, because this is the same suggestion I gave you for political books. Read some Rand. I've never read something where she directly answered the question: Why should an atheist have morals. But, she was an atheist, and a moralist. And, she hated Kant. So, if you took Matt's suggestion, she could present a very interesting counterpoint.

[CrowbarDoom]

Yeah, definitely go with some Rand. Polish your big, brass, capitalist balls!

Her best book, her magnum opus, is Atlas Shrugged.