The Loss of Human Dignity with a Naturalistic World

The loss of Human Dignity with a Naturalistic World Throughout the centuries there have been various theories that have tried unsuccessfully to account for human dignity and intrinsic value without God. However, this paper will only focus on the theory of naturalism and its lack of a strong argument for the existence of either. Therefore there must be a successful accounting of the presence of God within the theory of naturalism to argue the existence of human dignity and intrinsic value successfully according to JP Moreland. One cannot argue against philosophical theory without first opening their eyes to the opposing debate. This argument is not about Christianity or the existence of a particular religion but the belief that we must have God in any argument or debate concerning human dignity, for without God there can be no human dignity or intrinsic value. In order to proceed with the argument against the lack of human dignity and intrinsic value within a naturalistic perspective one must define some key terms within the argument: naturalism, the Grand Story, the atomic theory, personhood, intrinsic value, and human dignity. To ease the transition from definitions to critique I will only discuss the terms briefly as to give the reader an educated understanding of the terms that support the theory of naturalism and leave human dignity and inherent value struggling for existence. According to Moreland, naturalism is defined as the belief that all things, living or not, originate from mindless, meaningless, restricted, irrational, brute, physical particles. To further elaborate on naturalism, one must realize that the theory accounts for our creation by physical matter only. All of creation, to include humans, is based solely on the physical properties matter may contain and any passive reaction that may result. Simply put, naturalism is just another name for atheism or the belief that there is no God. The basic