“Dishonesty (Follow Up)”

Brian Carnell, Greg Pierce, and Don Larson have each posted responses to my little essay on dishonesty.

Brian takes issue with my comment that humanists believe that people are good. It was a generalization, that's true, but it's a belief that I've heard far too often to be ignored. Also, whether or not humanists believe that people are good doesn't change my argument, which was that people are basically dishonest. (Though I didn't explain my views on why they're dishonest, I'll do it now in four words: short sighted self interest.)

Greg starts out by disagreeing with those who think morals have declined in Western civlization. He says it hasn't, that there have always been moral problems. It's true that there have always been moral problems, but the list I mentioned was never as widespread as it is today. On the other hand, *I* wasn't ranting about those moral issues... in fact, my point was that those other issues are less important than simple honesty.

Don Larson says that it's a waste of time to "look for perfection in the world" (I wasn't looking for it, I was commenting on the lack of it, our own inability to make it, and the foolishness of people who don't practice honesty but who complain about it in others), that small pockets of goodness can be found in areas under your own control, and that going back to church is not the answer. I'll certainly agree with his last point: the solution is definitely not for people to just go back to church.

Thanks for the comments, guys.