Conservatives, whether they are Christians, Jews, or atheists, are looking for an organization of society optimal for people who themselves are far from optimal. While Christians and Jews base their ethical decisions on tenets of their respective religions, atheists base their ethical decisions on texts or beliefs drawn from other realms. For example, many atheists have what philosophers call a “virtue ethics.” Indeed, much of capitalist bourgeois society is based on a virtue ethics, which may account for the lessening effect of Christianity over the past 150 years in bourgeois societies, such as our own.
The most obvious capitalist bourgeois virtues are prudence, justice, courage, and temperance–all of these virtues are obviously necessary for a capitalist who wishes his/her venture to succeed. The virtue of hope is essential, otherwise no one would persist in a business enterprise. Of course, other virtues–such as love–pertaining to personal relationships and the family are also part of an atheist’s repertoire. A person does not have to adhere to a religion in order to be ethical and virtuous. It is simply foolish for conservatives to argue that atheists cannot be conservatives.
