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Opinion
Ben Schott

Money, Morality and What Religion Has to Do With It

Do you have to believe in a higher power to be good? Depends on who you ask (and where they live).

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In Plato’s “Euthyphro,” Socrates poses a timeless question: “Is that which is holy loved by the gods because it is holy, or is it holy because it is loved by the gods?” From this arises an equally thorny theological dilemma: Does morality derive exclusively from divinity, or can one be good without God?

Luckily, for the second question at least, we have data.