ABSTRACT
In this chapter, Vitz offers a reconciling strategy for contemporary atheists and traditional religious believers in the hope of motivating us to move beyond the argumentative impasse at which we frequently find ourselves. Vitz begins by reviewing some of our current moral disagreements on important issues. He then examines a strategy for resolving moral disagreements that is offered by a number of contemporary atheists: namely, appeals to “commonsense” moral principles and “scientific reasoning.” Vitz argues that despite how alluring such an approach might look at first glance, it is ultimately inadequate, given that we are essentially “moral strangers” with fundamentally different understandings of human nature and, consequently, of human well-being. In light of these intractable fundamental differences, Vitz suggests that we begin to reallocate our resources. Rather than engaging in public debates on matters in which we disagree, he advocates for the cultivation of “strategic alliances” in which we co-labor for justice on matters of mutual agreement.
