Philosophical Offspring of Atheism
by David Corrie
1. Materialism
1.1. The philosophical theory that regards matter and its motions as constituting the universe, and all phenomena, including those of mind, as due to material agencies.
2. Utilitarianism
3. Relativism
3.1. Moral relativism is the view that moral judgments are true or false only relative to some particular standpoint (for instance, that of a culture or a historical period) and that no standpoint is uniquely privileged over all others. This philosophy has more recently been logically applied to individuals rather than entire cultures. This encompasses the right of any individual to determine what is moral resulting in no morality. However, it is usually tempered with some amount of utilitarianism.
4. Nihlism
4.1. Nihilism is the belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated. It is often associated with extreme pessimism and a radical skepticism that condemns existence. A true nihilist would believe in nothing, have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy. While few philosophers would claim to be nihilists, nihilism is most often associated with Friedrich Nietzsche who argued that its corrosive effects would eventually destroy all moral, religious, and metaphysical convictions and precipitate the greatest crisis in human history.
