Added Neo-Aristotelian Ethical Naturalism (2026) by Keith M. Parsons to the Without God, How Do We Determine What’s Right and Wrong? page under Morality and Atheism in the Modern Documents section of the Secular Web Library.
Can morality have a rational justification if atheism or naturalism is true? To answer this we need to outline the features required of any good ethical theory. A satisfactory theory of which actions are morally right or wrong should have the same virtues that any good theory should have—such as simplicity, comprehensiveness, consistency, coherence, explanatoriness, and confirmability—in addition to meeting five desiderata specific to normative ethical theories. In this essay Keith Parsons argues that neo-Aristotelian ethical naturalism—the claim that the good is the desirable, and the desirable is the well-being of sentient creatures—meets such desiderata better than the alternatives. Among other things, it provides at least as good a basis for addressing real-life moral problems as any alternative and gives a straightforward answer to the question “Why be good?” And it will probably be notably more successful than a religious ethic that often only exacerbates problems and increases polarization.
Recommended reading: Jesus and Justice: Organizing for God’s Reign on Earth Then and Now (2026) by John Dominic Crossan and Michael Okinczyc-Cruz
Jesus and Justice presents the life of the historical Jesus as a bold and transformative call to action, inviting readers to actively follow his nonviolent and revolutionary example. Grounded in rigorous historical analysis, John Dominic Crossan and Michael Okinczyc-Cruz show how Jesus organized a grassroots movement of poor and marginalized peasants to confront the Roman Empire’s economic, political, and ideological domination—an imperial system with striking parallels to today’s corporate-driven global order. The book reveals Jesus’ message as a radically anti-imperial vision of God’s Reign: a collaborative, egalitarian, and justice-centered alternative to systems built on scarcity and oppression. Drawing connections to modern movements led by figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Dolores Huerta, and Cesar Chavez, Crossan and Okinczyc-Cruz offer a powerful framework for confronting contemporary injustice. Jesus and Justice challenges readers to embrace Jesus’ original revolutionary program of love, mercy, and nonviolent action.