| As an Atheist who has pondered your questions I'll have a shot: - Where does value stem from? What is good? What is bad? Our perceptions of value come from evolution so a fun Xmas/Thanksgiving dinner with the family is considered good by us, bad by the turkey. - What is the meaning or purpose of life? It doesn't have a definite one which leaves us free to choose what to go for. Having fun, helping others etc -Why is there something instead of nothing? What was the original cause? Was there one? Probably mathematics has to be and physics and hence us are a subset. - What happens after we die? Not quite sure - maybe nothing but maybe as Einstein wrote "People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion" so from some perspectives you don't. - clearer framework in which they can live meaningful, enjoyable lives that doesn't require a religious framework Not sure about a clear framework but my take is that our instincts may be here through evolution but we can still go for the positive ones, love, happiness, beauty and the like. |