Youtube Skeptic, QualiaSoup, is well-known for his thought provoking short videos on critical thinking, science and skepticism.  His latest video, the first in a new series on morality, is no exception.

Amidst some wonderful artwork, QualiaSoup dissects the concept of morality for his viewers and refutes scriptural justifications for certain practices the religious deem moral. He also attempts to shed light on an all too common misconception that paints non-believers as immoral and hedonistic.

Their rejection of religion, far from being motivated by a wish to escape moral accountability, as some claim,  reflects a conviction that it's only by abandoning certain religious ideas that progress towards a truly just, consistent morality is possible.

The video also delves into how science, and neuroscience in particular, can inform morality by helping individuals answer age old questions and attain a better understand of reality. The following quote is often attributed to Susan. B. Anthony, and currently, it might be more relevant than ever.

I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.

Toward the end of the video, QualiaSoup cites a paper from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that thoroughly explores this phenomenon.  For the purposes of their studies, scientist asked subjects, mainly Christians, moral questions while their brains were being scanned. The results showed that "thinking about divine views activated the same brain regions as thinking about their own views." Leading the researchers to believe that "Intuiting God’s beliefs on important issues may not produce an independent guide, but may instead serve as an echo chamber that reverberates one’s own beliefs."

QualiaSoup is a "UK artist and secular humanist interested in critical thinking, science and the natural world" feel free to subscribe to his YouTube channel.

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