Cats, Boris Badenough, and the Meaning of Life

Our cat is very old now and for the past few years has been suffering from diabetes and partial kidney failure (those familiar with cats know this this is manageable, but progressive and irreversible, and ultimately fatal). Over the past few months, she lost a lot of wait and became increasingly listless (two more “red flags” for those familiar with cats). We had to decide: was it time to euthanize her or should we prolong her life? According to her veterinarian, she was probably not feeling her best but probably not suffering either. Modifying her treatment for the kidney disease and diabetes might help, but it might not.

We decided to modify her treatments and prolong her life.

But why? How did we decide? I don’t believe in an afterlife: once you’re dead – it’s as if you had never been born. Those who believe in an eternal afterlife charge that without the promise of an afterlife, everything is meaningless – including life and death itself. According to this view, it would be perfectly fine to kill a healthy cat… or a healthy person… or all people… or just let the cat suffer until it died.

Let’s step back a bit and ask: if life and death are meaningless, why did I even agonize over what to do with my cat? Why not just kill her and save myself a lot of trouble? The answer is that I, like most other people (excluding those with certain social disorders), have an innate empathy for other living things – a natural product of evolution. I care if the cat suffers because I empathize with her. Empathy is the bases for the different versions of “the golden rule” that have arisen independently in various cultures at various times.

So now I have a motive: I want to treat the cat as I would like to be treated (to a point: I have more empathy for human “family” than for cats – another natural outcome of evolution). I personally would prefer to go on living, even with a certain amount of discomfort, but not if I’m terminal and I would be miserable until my immanent death. So the choice was clear: let her live while she feels OK and manage her disease as best we can to make her feel better longer.

What about the original charge: why does it matter if she (or I, or anyone) suffers if ultimately she dies, and it won’t matter then if she had suffered or not? The answer is that it matters while she is alive, even if it won’t matter after she’s dead.

Consider this generous offer by Dr. Boris Badenough: Dr. Badenough is testing his new torture device for the military. It is a virtual reality device of sorts that works directly on the nervous system to make you feel as though all of your teeth are being slowly extracted at once, and as if needles are being slowly inserted into your eyeballs, and plenty of other mean things that we can imagine. Since it works only on the nerves, there is actually no physical damage inflicted on the victim at all. Dr. Badenough offers to pay you one million US dollars if you will agree to help him test the machine by undergoing this excruciating torment for 8 hours. After the torment, you will emerge physically unharmed. Would you do it?

Maybe not – you might fear that you would emerge psychologically damaged from the experience. “No worries,” says Dr. Badenough – this device will completely erase all of your memory of the 8-hour ordeal. You will recall only that you have been sleeping peacefully for the unbearable 8 hours. Now would you do it? Why or why not? Would you do it for $100,000? How about $500?

Your answer, whether or not you would do it, is less important for this decision than what you considered while thinking about the decision. If you truly believe that experiences don’t matter now if they won’t matter later, then you wouldn’t hesitate to take the $500, maybe even much less. But most people will not decide so easily because experiences matter now even if they won’t matter later. If someone does agree to help Dr. Badenough, to what extent is he comforted during the torture by the knowledge that he won’t remember it?

Still not convinced? What was the most delicious meal you had in 1987? What did you have and how did it taste? Don’t remember? Then you probably won’t remember delicious meals you will have in the future – so there is no point having them. Bon appetit!

How can a windfall be just coincidence?

David Says:

My wife and I deconverted from christianity about two years ago. Ever since then I have been an atheist. When we were christians, we would attribute good events in our life to god having favor on us. I know that’s not true now but some recent events have me perplexed. In the last two weeks, the following great things have happened: I landed a job without an in-person interview, I was able to get out of my rental agreement in order to move to my hometown and the house beside my parents became available to rent during the week I moved. When I was a christian, I would’ve attributed this to god. I know that’s not the reason. However, how can these things be explained? I’m having a difficult time thinking of this windfall as a bunch of good coincidences.

Why do atheists target Christians?

Christian Says:

I am curious why Christianity seems to be the most targeted religion for atheists to attack. While I recognize that Christianity is the religion with the most followers worldwide, it really seems less like a strictly scientific numbers issue, and more like emotional personal vendetta most of the time. I see so much effort from the atheist community to debunk Christian beliefs, but very little going toward Jewish, Muslim or Buddhist fallacy for instance (also very popular religions).

With so much emphasis on Christianity, I would think atheists would realize how much it weakens their “reason”. First, it suggests that Christianity is the only religion worth attacking, which may just be insulting to other religions as well. Second, it gives the appearance of a hidden (anti-Christian or even satanic) agenda to most Christians. Third, it makes these atheists just look like angry kids rebelling against their Christian parents or the Christian society they were raised in. None of these things are very compelling to a Christian to abandon the faith they work very hard to keep. Just sayin’.

How can an atheist deny the mark of the beast?

Doug asks:

In the Bible it states that no one ,small or great, rich or poor, free or bound can buy or sell unless he receive the mark of the beast. The word “mark” is translated as etching. The technology of the microchip is an implantable chip.We are heading toward a cashless society. Just watch the news. World government, one world currency has been an issue world leaders have talked about.In that microchip will be your medical records , your bank account. If you do not have that chip you will not be able to buy or sell. How was this known over 2 thousand years ago.The technology is here.It has not been enforced yet. But you can not deny the technology.

Can Atheists believe in an afterlife?

tea asks:

There are many ways to debate this. Most new atheist explain or argue that if you don’t believe in god, then it is impossible to believe in anything supernatural or an afterlife.

I personally believe that 99% of what people claim to be a supernatural or religious experience is just the mind creating delusions. And I find myself rolling my eyes when I listen to someone explaining they had some type of “experience”. But I do find myself believing in something more. I feel that the mind is very powerful and 99% of the time it is just my brain creating a delusional world for me to live in because I can’t find the scientific explanation. But there is still that feeling. The feeling is that I am connected to something bigger then myself and that there is a purpose to everything.

I still live my life as an atheist. I use logic and reason to live my life. And I don’t live my life by any dogmatic point of view. I also live my life in the here and now, not waiting for some “next life” to happen. I just want to see other atheist feel about this subject.

Evolution vs. Intelligent Design – a stalemate?

How Could it be? Says:

Evolution and intelligent design are tied.

Would you evolutionist agree that evolution and intelligent design are in a stand still if you look at it from a scholarly perspective. Yes, evolution has become the leading theory in society, but science has done as much to prove it as it has intelligent design. They both have one major flaw that prevents them from being fact. Evolution can’t explain how you get life out of no living chemicals; and intelligent design doesn’t have a designer. Untill the answer is solved they will both only be theories. No matter how much you want them to be fact its just not possiable without the proof.

How do I leave Christianity without hurting anyone?

apologia Says:

Well, I can’t believe that I am writing to an Atheist website for insight. You see, I’ve been a theist my whole life, although for the most part that was by default because I was not a part of any faith community.
My belief in intelligent design extrapolates naturally to a creator(s), ergo; God!
I have flirted with various religions at different times, particularly when they seemed to offer answers to my deepest questions. Unfortunately, when my questions became too awkward, I was generally told that I had been given the answer and must accept it by faith – not a very critical form of deliberation.
Eventually, I stumbled upon some very learned, contemporary Christian apologists and my path to Christ was gradually laid. These ’scholars’ were very convincing in their arguments for Christianity and after commiting to that faith I was soon immersed in learning and teaching (at the lay-level).
I even taught a course on how to debate with atheists. This was done with the assumption that their objection to theism was either philosophically or scientifically based. I tell you this because I don’t want to come across as a gullible nutcase (as many Christians are perceived by those outside the faith). My primary instruction in the atheist course was to tell those attending to put away their Bibles because they might as well bring a copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula for all the credibility it will carry with an atheist.
Well, that’s enough history, where I am now (philosophically) is what is germain. The answer in a nutshell is that I am still a theist but my faith in the Bible as ‘inspired’ and my belief in the claims of Christianity are unravelling at an alarming rate. The problem is that I am still active (spiritually, socially, etc) within the faith.
A group of us who were teachers and lay leaders within the church split away because of the institutional church’s lack of motivation to do the social work required – taking care of the disenfrancized, etc. As a result we formed a house church with no leader, denominational affiliation, established doctrine or theology, etc. We each naturally take leadership in areas where our talents lie. Despite what the institutional church members who oppose us believe (and there are many) it works beautifully and we are making a difference in our community. The trouble is that I now feel like a fraud due to my ever-widening disconnect with the Christian theistic position.
So here’s the $64.000 question – how do I gently break away without damaging a lot of people?
As a teacher I was very effective in rationalizing the faith of others so that they grew in confidence. My change of perspective has the potential to effect a lot of people, including my wife.
Please don’t offer platitudes such as be true to your conscience, because I know that’s what I should do – and damn the consequences – but I just can’t. I need to find a way to do it gently. Your insight will be greatly appreciated.
p.s. I came here because it would be impossible to get realistic advice from a Christian forum.

How Many Atheists & What is Up with These Agnostics?

Green Genius Says:

Hi Atheist, what do you suppose is the real number of atheists in the US? Admitted is going to be less than actual. Also what about EU’s? And the world’s? And someone just told me that they were agnostic because they said some things can never be proven. I said back to him yes, but I doubt a supernatural being could ever be proven either and he agreed? So what is up with these agnostics?

Is Deism tenable?

Lee Says:

Is Deism tenable? I’m an atheist insomuch as I do not believe in any sort of theistic concept of a deity; however, I often wonder if there exists an impersonal, non-interventionist type of provisional “First Cause”.

Fear and Guilt?

Green Genius Says:

I was raised an Atheist in Nor Cal. I would like to ask The Atheist if a feeling of fear and guilt can be conjured in his or herself by religious condemnations. It happens to me since I was a child stemming from the pervasive Christian culture I grew up in. Luckily it hasn’t stopped me from being rational.