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8.0.3.3 Apparent Divergences of ValuesVersion 1.2 December 2016                        (Previous Version) Many people see those who adopt different values as evil. Some will willingly fight for their own country but see others fighting for their country as evil. Many religious people who believe in the literal meaning of their sacred texts see others, whether believers or non-believers, as evil. 8.0.3.3.1 False beliefs, hence false values These differences in values are often a result of differences in understanding of the nature of the world. We make the choices that reflect our values based on what we know about the world. Often our understanding of philosophy, science and/or history is simply incorrect. Racists, nationalists, religious and ethnic sectarian bigots are likely, in their ignorance, to believe their bigotry is justified because they believe the members of the hated group are innately inferior and cause harm. These beliefs can be shown to be factually incorrect: there are no innate differences between the supposedly different groups, no reason to believe one section of humanity is inferior or superior to another, intellectually or morally: we are all equally stupid and equally guilty. Bigots are also likely to point to historical events where “others” committed some atrocity. But a broader understanding of history shows that all branches of humanity have in the past been capable of committing atrocities, that often atrocities are not totally one-sided.  The supposed links between the “others” and “evil” are not real. We can oppose “evils” such as racism and nationalism by countering their false beliefs. Often, the false beliefs can be countered by bringing the bigot into contact with people they supposedly hate, whereupon they discover for themselves that the “others” are not all evil. 8.0.3.3.2 Same beliefs, different value choices Some people will look at the same facts and come to different conclusions. We say it is reasonable to look at the material world with reverence, seeing its mystery, wonder, beauty and the ubiquity of love and compassion.  Others look at the same world and conclude a supernatural god must be the ultimate source of these responses. Do we need to be concerned? If religious people actually live by similar core values to us, then we can co-operate. If their values result in some quirky behaviour, such as praying for help, avoiding certain foods and wearing certain clothes, that does no harm to themselves or others. it's OK. We don't need to be concerned with people who: ●  hold only innocuous irrational beliefs that don't lead to harming others; ●  say they hold potentially harmful, purely faith based, beliefs, but treat them as “personal” and have no intention to act on them (whether out of fear, uncertainty, inertia or laziness). 8.0.3.3 Apparent Divergences of Values        We must acknowledge that there are those who hold very contradictory values, but often these can be attributed to incorrect beliefs about the nature of reality. Our response to such people is based on the hope that different experiences, education and debate can change false beliefs and lead to greater agreement on values.        We know there are some who simply choose different values, despite sharing apparently the same beliefs, but in practice their values may be essentially compatible with ours, or if their values are significantly different, they may not in practice do any harm to others.        We can cooperate with such people while still debating the basis of our values.
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