From What Is to What Ought to Be: The Moral Flaw of Atheistic Materialism Faced with Hume’s Guillotine
Introduction The central problem we address is the following: can an “ought” be derived from an “is”? During the Enlightenment, there was an attempt to ground morality solely in reason, without reference to any transcendence. But if one rejects all divine or metaphysical authority, can a strictly materialist worldview truly justify objective moral norms? We will first examine the nature and scope of Hume’s “is‑ought problem” (I), then consider its implications for an atheist morality (II). We will then analyze materialist attempts to overcome the obstacle (III), and finally reflect on the possible necessity of a metaphysical foundation to save morality (IV). ...