A Challenge to Dennis Prager about Secular Morality

Dear Dennis Prager,

You say that “without God there are no moral facts” and that “Every atheist philosopher I have read or debated on this subject has acknowledged that if there is no God, there is no objective morality.”

I’m an atheist philosopher who thinks moral facts and objective morality do exist. And I’m writing to challenge you to address my argument.

I’ve published an article showing that objective morality, as elucidated by the philosopher Ayn Rand, derives not from revelation, faith, or divine commandments—but from observation, logic, and the laws of nature.

Given that Ayn Rand, one of the most popular and visible philosophers of the 20th century, argued at length that objective morality can be derived from observable reality—and given that I’ve provided a concise primer on Rand’s argument and made it accessible for free—I challenge you either to point out where and how the argument fails, or to debate me publicly on the subject at a venue of your choice.

If you choose to make your case in writing, I will be happy to publish it both on TOS Blog and in The Objective Standard. If you choose to debate me, I will gladly handle all the logistics, cover all expenses, and pay you $10,000—which I’m sure a favorite charity of yours would be delighted to have.

You can reach me at cbiddle@theobjectivestandard.com. I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
Craig Biddle

About Craig Biddle

Craig is cofounder and editor of The Objective Standard, cofounder and director of education at Objective Standard Institute, and executive director of Prometheus Foundation. He is the author of Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It; Rational Egoism: The Morality for Human Flourishing; and the forthcoming Moral Truths Your Parents, Preachers, and Teachers Don’t Want You to Know. He is currently working on his fourth book, “Thinking in Principles.”

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