The Importance of Morality and Meaning in Life

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"It's not a minstrel show, it's not blackface, or Jews like you said earlier. I said that off the air, you're also off," he says. "You can be... that's how a lot of Jews really are." The clip relates to the theme of our show: Religion and its connection to morality. And even more broadly than that, religion and its connected to life's meaning, life's purpose. If you don't believe in God, can you be a good person? Do you have motivation to get up in the morning? That your life has meaning and value?

Does life have meaning if there is no God? Why should I be a good person if there's no reward or punishment waiting for me in the afterlife? Why does religion seem to make people happier and healthier? Dave and Tamler heroically try to answer these questions without being stoned. Other topics include Dave's paralyzing fear of death, bad times on mopeds, and the pros and cons of naming your daughter Chlamydia. They almost get through the episode without having to censor something--but not quite.

Links

Woody Allen's "Love and Death"

Paul Bloom- Does Religion Make You Nice? [Slate.com]

Follow-up reading on religion and health (for the slightly academically inclined)- Powell, L. H., Shahabi, L., & Thoresen, C. E. (2003). Religion and spirituality: Linkages to physical health. American Psychologist, 58, 36.

Pascal's Wager [wikipedia.org]

Albert Camus [Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy]

The Problem of Evil. [Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy]

"Yes but subjectivity is objective."

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