Thoughts on quote from a famous Republican: "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket?

Dawkins is not saying "it's all relative." He's a humanist in his philosophy. He's saying what he thinks is true, not what he thinks is right.

And I agree with the quote.

He's only right about the "indifferent" part, a number of the conclusions he makes from this though are unfounded. Now the idea that the Universe doesn't care about "us" is very simple. It doesn't matter what happens to us, whether or not we die, whether the Earth falls into the Sun, whether humans cause their own extinction.

The Universe goes on regardless. I think however he's using the word "pitiless" incorrectly. Calling the Universe's lack of attention "pitiless indifference" is wrong.

This is because the word pitiless means "without pity" now the Universe doesn't have pity (that's correct) however by saying the Universe is "pitiless" he's indirectly implying that the Universe is intentionally not caring. Or that the Universe could be caring, but it's not choosing to do so. See being pitiless is a word only applied to creatures that feel emotions.

Humans can be pitiless, because we can feel pity (and we can also choose not to feel pity). Rocks cannot be pitiless (they never felt to pity to begin with). Calling a rock pitiless is nonsensical.

The same is true about the Universe, the Universe can't be pitiless (because it simply can't choose between having pity or not). The point is, the Universe is "indifferent". Not "pitilessly indifferent".

Just indifferent. It's just there. It cares about us as much as the sand does on the beach.

The sand is not "pitilessly indifferent" it's just "indifferent". As is the Universe. -------- Now then, I disagree with the conclusions he makes.

That the Universe has, "...no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference." I believe three out of four of those are wrong. I will give him that the Universe has no purpose, there is no reason to assume that the Universe as a whole has any mission or is trying to accomplish anything.

But as for the rest... I disagree that the Universe has "no design". The Universe has a significant amount of design to it! EVERYTHING!

Follows the laws physics. Everything acts very orderly. Everything around you is just simply a combination of protons, electrons, neutrons, and light.

That's all it is. And these protons, neutrons, electrons, and light can't do anything but what they're programmed (by physics) to do. They all have to follow their laws (their design).

And how they follow these few laws fundamental laws and forces has built up everything you see around you. Saying that there is no design to our Universe is incorrect. There's a lot of it.

He can say no one, or no diety, specifically created or manipulated this design. But he can't say there is none. And as a biologist he should understand that considering the basis of all science is studying this design.

Next, saying that there is "no good" and "no evil" in the Universe is also incorrect. Humans have defined what "good" and "evil" are and these concepts are attached to humanity. Now without humanity "good" and "evil" go away, the Universe is not evil or good just as sand and rocks are not evil and good.

Nonetheless because humans exist in our Universe so do good and evil. Now morality changes between centuries, and so do the concepts of good and evil. I believe this changing is just the result of humans not knowing what they want.

Now understand this, the lucidity and constant change between cultures and eras does not mean morality (and good and evil) don't exist though. Regardless of the time period, we should be able to establish a "best" system of morality for humanity. There logically has to be one.

A morality system that if everyone followed perfectly everyone in society would be better and happier than if they didn't follow this system or chose to follow another morality. That is what an absolute morality is, and we should be able to find it, and it can exist. Now once again, just because the rocks don't have morals or experience good and evil, and just because the Universe does not actively go out of its way to create "good" and "evil" or seem to have a preferred moral system.

Does not mean it doesn't exist. This is because morality, good, and evil are rooted in humanity. They don't exist without us (or perhaps without other intelligent life forms) but because our Universe is capable of producing humans (and we're alive) morality, good, and evil do exist (as we're here).

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.