Alex O'Connor on Morality without God

O'Connor's position on morality without God is informed by his training in philosophy at Oxford. He argues that secular moral reasoning — drawing on consequentialism, virtue ethics, Kantian deontology, and other frameworks — provides robust tools for ethical deliberation that do not require divine backing. The history of moral philosophy demonstrates that rigorous ethical thinking is not only possible without God but flourishes in secular contexts.

He points to the practical track record: the most significant moral advances of the last few centuries — abolition, women's suffrage, civil rights, the recognition of LGBTQ+ equality — were driven overwhelmingly by secular moral reasoning, often against fierce religious opposition. If morality required God, we would expect religious institutions to be at the forefront of moral progress. Instead, they have consistently been among the last to change.

O'Connor also challenges the assumption that atheism leads to moral nihilism. Most atheists, he observes, live ethical lives guided by empathy, reason, and a concern for human flourishing. The claim that without belief in God, there is no reason to be moral reflects a failure of imagination — or, more charitably, a failure to engage seriously with secular ethics.