They really aren't there because nothing is there except random matter. There is no transcendent context within which to discuss moral theory. Just as words in order to have meaning must point beyond themselves to a commonly understood real existence, so, also, must the reality point beyond itself to commonly accepted essence. Otherwise, reality has no moral quotient whatsoever and moral meaning dissolves into the subjective, rendering it beyond debate. Though this section is rightly reserved for a different emphasis than the current article can explore, a few obvious examples are briefly given.
Power is the only imperative.
As in the animal world or the world of flowers and weeds, the strongest will win. If man is no different in his essential make-up, then he is also subjected to this point of view. When we have reduced our actions to non-personal atoms and chance, the fact that some atoms end up on top of others has nothing to do with morality. Power becomes the only postmodern morality, whether for good or bad. Culture is the only religion.