Atheists, what motivates you to acts of charity, do you think of a higher ideal when..?

Question

for example..visiting the sick...feeding the hungry..etc. Do you say..this is because 'I believe' in something good, something worthwhile....something eternal?
Do you feel that you are contributing something to the Common Good?
In which case...do you 'believe' in the Common Good?
Even though it is invisible?

Answer 1

They aren't into charity much at all.

Answer 2

I volunteered for five years at a local homeless shelter, setting up and helping run a free Internet cafe. I was asked to do it because of my experience, and back then I had time to spare. It would have been churlish to refuse.I live in a socialist society (England) which is supposed to have a safety net, but there are many people who slip through the net because of their problems with drugs or mental health. I feel that we all have a duty to help the people around us whenever we can. It was hard work and sometimes distressing, but it also had great rewards. I am still friends with some of the other volunteers who I met there, and I'm still friends with many of the homeless people I met along the way. I believe in karma - what goes around comes around. People have been kind to me in the past for no reason apart from them being good people. It's nice to pay that forward.

Answer 3

I think how it must feel to be sick or starving and feel empathy and compassion and want to help. This is because of my frontal lobe which enables me to empathise - we evolved to have it because we survive best in groups.



I do believe in a common good though. I believe that the wellbeing of human beings and other animals is good and that the suffering of human beings and other animals is bad. Any action which adds to wellbeing or reduces suffering is good. You don't have to agree but you probably will because of your frontal lobe. Laws and social expectations are formed around this idea because so many of us share it so if you go against you may be arrested and will almost certainly be unpopular.

Answer 4

Because I feel empathy (an evolved emotion) towards my fellow human beings.

Because I understand the concept that if I'm good to my neighbors, they're more likely to be good to me when I may be in need -- reciprocal altruism.

Because it feels good to do so.



No "common good," no magical man in the sky, just a reasonable way to do well in a society of human beings, and an emotional satisfaction.

Answer 5

I donate time, money, and even my land for the purpose of helping my community. It has nothing to do with a belief in a supernatural being, nor does it revolve around some notion that I will be awarded brownie points by some almighty creator.



Helping one another should be our first instinct, not something we need to be indoctrinated into doing. Any silly Christian that wants to claim helping others is right because their god says so needs a punch in the face to wake them from their idiocy coma.

Answer 6

Altruism has evolved in all the great apes. when a chimp has a fight with another chimp. there will always be one in the group who goes over to to console and put his arm around the loser. This act of 'kindness' has evolved as it pays to not be selfish and to help as others will help when you need it. This applies with human as well. We are hard wired to be good and not evil. Its like the age old argument of 'if you don't believe in religion then why don't you rape and kill people?', the truth is as an atheist i do rape and kill as many people as i like, it happens that the number i want to rape and kill is zero. So the answer to your question lies within evolution. We have evolved to help others for the good and survival of our genes.

Answer 7

"Even though it is invisible?"

Why add that ridiculous little statement?



The "common good" is very visible. It is visible in the way people act, the neighbourhood etc etc.



Seems you are just another dick trying to infer something that is not actually a fact.

Answer 8

The 'common good' may seem invisible to you but I can see when people have food to eat and hope in their future. Why do you think human flourishing is intangible? You see it anywhere humanity thrives. It exists.

Answer 9

I have a great heart. If i can help someone by donating the close I don't use anymore, I don't mind giving them away to people that needs them. I also volunteer at my father's in law church to go feed the homeless one time. It was cold, 20's . And there we were giving burritos to homeless people in Downtown Dallas.

And no i do not expect nothing in return.

Answer 10

There is no higher ideal than helping others.



I have just been told that it's also a matter of self-preservation: Help me and I'll help you. Reciprocity is the basis of all morality.



And since we are social animals, this is our instinct, as well.

Answer 11

I get a nice shot of endorphins from my prefrontal cortex when I do nice things for people.



That's my fancy way of saying, "I enjoy doing nice things." I enjoy it so much, in fact, that I will dedicate my life to helping others through medical science.



The 'common good' is not at all invisible. It is measurable, and we do measure it with many statistics such as homeless rate, poverty rate, etc.

Answer 12

I contribute to charity because I like to better society and I'm not a douchebag.



>Even though it is invisible?

Yes. Just like how I "believe" in air even though it's invisible. (Your analogy is a failure)

Answer 13

We do it because we want to help people and as humans we naturally want to help, not for any god. Just want to say to all theists, praying does not help people it is just a way to make you feel that you have done your bit and be ignorant.

Answer 14

It makes make all warm and gooey inside, plus we can't live alone so if you help others they will hopefully help you. That's common scene I'm confused that you don't know that already?

Answer 15

I think we're all in this world together and everybody needs help time to time. I figure if I help it will be available to me if I need help. Purely selfish reasons you understand. It also makes me feel good.

Answer 16

I believe in the common good because it's an idea. Unlike god, who people think LITERALLY exists.

Answer 17

No. I give to the poor because they need it more than i do. I do it out of the kindness of my heart. Not because i think God can see me and he'll note down my good deeds.

Answer 18

Sigh....

http://www.science20.com/gadfly/altruism_its_origin_its_evolution_its_discontents

Another argument from ignorance.

Answer 19

believe it or not, altruism, compassion, empathy, love.....are neither exclusive nor original to Christians.



atheists don't do it for brownie points. and guess what....e don't even use car bombs or burn down churches. too bad your team can't say the same.

Answer 20

Let me ask you who is the better person.



Is it someone who does good things because he/she wants to, or is it someone who does good things because he/she 1) wants to go to heaven, and/or 2) wants to avoid hell?



I think people who do the right thing because they WANT to are better than people who do the right thing because they think they HAVE to.

Answer 21

Unlike theists, if we do it, it's because we believe in helping others. Theists do it as they believe in helping themselves in the after life.

Answer 22

F'ing incredible. Christians can't even fathom doing something nice other than it being to please a magical god.



You do realize some people do nice things because it's the right thign to do, right moron?

Answer 23

Because I'm a good person, and i care about my fellow man (or woman).

Answer 24

Empathy, most people except psychopaths and sociopaths have it whether they are religious or not.

Answer 25

We just do it , because it's right . We don't expect anything back.

Answer 26

I'm human. That's all it takes.

Answer 27

Empathy my friend, empathy.

Answer 28

i want to gag