What is the problem with the divine command theory?
The problem with the divine command theory that I want to highlight is that it claims that the moral features of actions are specifiable solely in terms of God’s commands. What makes an action morally obligatory is the fact that God commands that we do it. What makes an action morally wrong is the fact that God commands that we not do it.
How is the divine command theory related to ethics and morality?
The divine command theory is one of many philosophies of morality and moral behavior. It is a sub-category of moral absolutism, which holds that humanity is subject to absolute standards that determine when acts are right or wrong. Moral absolutism, in turn, falls under the umbrella of deontological ethics, which teaches that actions are moral or not based on their adherence to given rules.
What do you think of the divine command theory?
Think about it: divine command theory is the only moral theory we teach based on a reading that wasn’t written by someone who held some version of the view. What we do instead is assume that Socrates refuted an entire tradition of ethical thought many centuries before the first versions of the view started getting worked out in a serious way.
What is divine command theory in ethics?
What is Divine Command Theory?
- Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way ( Psalm 25:8 ).
- Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! ...
- For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you ( Psalm 86:5 ).
- For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations ( Psalm 100:5 ).
What is the importance of divine command theory?
It is from God's commands that actions are determined to be right or wrong and, because of this, divine command theory provides an objective assessment of what is ethical or moral. However, there is ambiguity in the way in which some scripture is interpreted.
Who made the divine command theory?
Both Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated an ethics of divine commands. John Locke and William Paley are among the modern philosophers who argued for divine command theories. Søren Kierkegaard's Works of Love (1847/1995) contains a divine command theory.
What is an example of divine command?
For example, murder is morally wrong because God prohibits it in the Ten Commandments. In the story of Abraham and Isaac, the proponent of the divine command theory can argue that Abraham was morally justified in his intended action of killing Isaac because God directly com- manded him to do so.
What is another name for divine command theory?
Divine command theory (also known as theological voluntarism) is a meta-ethical theory which proposes that an action's status as morally good is equivalent to whether it is commanded by God.
Is divine command theory natural law?
Unlike the Divine Command theory of ethics, Natural Law ethics holds that morality is universal, not at the will of God but at the will of reason.
What is divine command theory and what are some of the problems with it?
Thus, divine command theory gives us reason to worry that God's commands are arbitrary as universal moral standards of action. They may or may not be benevolent, loving, or have any other property we consider morally praiseworthy, and they may in fact be cruel and harsh. Divine command theory makes no guarantees.
What is an example of divine right theory?
Divine Right Theory In this theory, a king is divinely appointed by God as a ruler. He is effectively acting as a regent, an agent of God on Earth. While a king who holds divine right to rule has an enormous amount of power, he is also essentially accountable to God and it is expected that he will abide by God's rule.
What is the divine theory of state?
The oldest theory about the origin of the state is the divine origin theory. It is also known as the theory of divine right of Kings. The exponents of this theory believe that the state did not come into being by any effort of man. It is created by God. The King who rules over the state is an agent of God on earth.
What does Arthur think about divine command theory?
The Divine Command Theory means that God has the same sort of relation to moral law as the legislature has to statutes it enacts: without God's commands there would be no moral rules, just as without a legislature there would be no statutes. Arthur rejects this theory because of what the divine theory implies.
Does Thomas Aquinas believe in divine command theory?
God's commands through the Divine Law are ways of illuminating what is in fact morally acceptable and not what determines what is morally acceptable. Aquinas rejects the Divine Command Theory.
Are the Ten Commandments divine command theory?
There are many people brought up to accept the Ten Commandments as guides for a moral life and they think that following those commandments would make them adherents to the DIVINE COMMAND Theory . This is NOT the case at all. In DIVINE COMMAND THEORY the GOOD is whatever the "god" or deity commands.
Why is the divine command theory rejected?
Thomas Aquinas rejected the divine command theory because of the very logical dilemmas presented here. Therefore, in this sense, elements of religion certainly do and should borrow from moral concepts, but moral conceptions may exist separate from religion.
What is wrong with divine command theory?
Moral theorists refer to a Platonic dialog containing the Euthyphro dilemma. According to this dialog, Plato raises the question of whether an act...
What is divine command theory and what does it say about right and wrong?
According to the Divine Command theory, actions are right if God decrees them. Human actions, to be morally right, must follow God's commandments.
What is the meaning of divine command theory?
According to the Divine Command theory, God has commanded humans to follow specific actions. Theists believe God exists and thus, to obey His comma...
Who believed in divine command theory?
St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas wrote extensively about the concept of God's moral law. St. Augustine believed contemplation of God's moral la...
What is an example of divine command theory?
An example of divine command theory, according to theists, is that God commands humans not to steal. Thus, humans are morally obligated to refrain...
What does it mean to be morally based on God?
In other words, morality is revealed by God that is based on His holy character. It would further mean that we are held accountable by God for what we do. This is exactly what the Scriptures teach us.
Why is the divine command theory faulty?
The divine command theory is faulty because it does not properly represent the biblical position that God is not arbitrary. He works all things after the counsel of his will ( Ephesians 1:11 ). In addition, God speaks out of the abundance of his heart ( Matthew 12:34 ).
Is murder good or bad?
An action is good merely because God commands that it is good, and bad because he commands that it is bad. The problem would then be that God could arbitrarily say murder is good and honesty is bad, which in turn would mean that nothing is really intrinsically right or wrong.
What does Stan say about God?
Using reason alone, Stan recognizes that a person cannot demonstrate to others without a doubt that there is a God.
What does Stan think about the universe?
What Stan starts to think about in his perilous situation is that belief in God could be viewed as different than believing in a fanciful creature. He considers whether belief in God is about more than just another item or creature.
What does it mean to enroll in a course?
Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams.
What is divine command theory?
Lesson Summary. Divine command theory is an approach to ethics that views God as the source of moral laws. Philosophers who promote divine command theory don't necessarily aim to prove that God exists without a doubt. They typically aim to identify some reasonable premises that make an argument for the existence of God.
What does it mean to be an atheist?
An atheist, or a person who does not believe in the existence of a God, might argue that there is little to no evidence that God exists, just like there is little or no evidence that sea monsters exist.
What is Stan's fear of roller coasters?
Stan, a philosophy student, has decided to take the plunge and ride one of the highest roller coasters in the country. He's afraid of heights but knows the ride will be over in about two minutes and the likelihood of any danger is low. As the ride begins, he's feeling exhilarated, but when they hit the second loop, something goes wrong.
Is Stan the agnostic or atheist?
For an atheist or agnostic, it can be harder to pinpoint the origins of how morality came to be. If he decides he is a theist, Stan might also have the comfort of knowing that no matter what happens in life, people will ultimately get what they deserve from a God who enforces moral rules.
What is Kant's view of morality?
M. Hare. Kant's view that morality should be determined by the categorical imperative – duty to the moral law, rather than acting for a specific end – has been viewed as incompatible with divine command theory. Philosopher and theologian John E. Hare has noted that some philosophers see divine command theory as an example of Kant's heteronomous will – motives besides the moral law, which Kant regarded as non-moral. American philosopher Lewis White Beck takes Kant's argument to be a refutation of the theory that morality depends on divine authority. John E. Hare challenges this view, arguing that Kantian ethics should be seen as compatible with divine command theory.
Why is the Divine Command Theory controversial?
Divine command theory has also been criticised for its apparent incompatibility with the omnibenevolence of God, moral autonomy and religious pluralism, although some scholars have attempted to defend the theory from these challenges.
What is the objection to autonomy?
Michael Austin draws attention to an objection from autonomy, which argues that morality requires an agent to freely choose which principles they live by. This challenges the view of divine command theory that God's will determines what is good because humans are no longer autonomous, but followers of an imposed moral law, making autonomy incompatible with divine command theory. Robert Adams challenges this criticism, arguing that humans must still choose to accept or reject God's commands and rely on their independent judgement about whether or not to follow them.
What does it mean when God chooses the first?
If the first is chosen, it would imply that whatever God commands must be good: even if he commanded someone to inflict suffering, then inflicting suffering must be moral. If the latter is chosen, then morality is no longer dependent on God, defeating the divine command theory.
What religions use Divine Command Theory?
Divine command theory features in the ethics of many contemporary religions - including Judaism, Islam, the Baháʼí Faith, and Christianity - as well as featuring in numerous polytheistic religions.
What is the theory of morality?
The theory generally teaches that moral truth does not exist independently of God and that divine commands determine morality. Stronger versions of the theory assert that God's command is the only reason that a good action is moral, while weaker variations cast divine command as a vital component within a greater reason.
How is goodness determined?
According to this theory, goodness is determined by God's motives, rather than by what he commands. Divine motivation theory is similar to virtue ethics because it considers the character of an agent, and whether they are in accordance with God's, as the standard for moral value.
Morality
Explore what Jesus teaches about morality, including love and forgiveness and the different approaches to decision making.
Moral absolutism
Moral absolutism is the belief that actions are intrinsically right or wrong. In other words, being right and wrong is a fact.
Moral relativism
Moral relativism is the belief that actions cannot be considered right or wrong without looking at the context surrounding the action, eg it depends on:
Overview
Divine command theory (also known as theological voluntarism) is a meta-ethical theory which proposes that an action's status as morally good is equivalent to whether it is commanded by God. The theory asserts that what is moral is determined by God's commands and that for a person to be moral he is to follow God's commands. Followers of both monotheistic and polytheistic rel…
General form
Philosophers including William of Ockham (c. 1287–1347), St Augustine (354–430), Duns Scotus (c. 1265–1308), and John Calvin (1509–1564) have presented various forms of divine command theory. The theory generally teaches that moral truth does not exist independently of God and that divine commands determine morality. Stronger versions of the theory assert that Go…
Objections
Philosopher William Wainwright considered a challenge to the theory on semantic grounds, arguing that "being commanded by God" and "being obligatory" do not mean the same thing, contrary to what the theory suggests. He used the example of water not having an identical meaning to H 2O to propose that "being commanded by God" does not have an identical meaning t…
See also
• Divine judgment
• Ethical subjectivism
• Theocracy
• Fideism
Bibliography
• Adams, Robert Merrihew (2002). Finite and Infinite Goods: A Framework for Ethics. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515371-5.
• Baggett, David; Walls, Jerry (2011). Good God:The Theistic Foundations of Morality. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199751808.
• Chandler, Hugh (2007). Platonistic And Disenchanting Theories of Ethics. Peter Lang. ISBN 978-0-8204-8858-5.
External links
• Divine Command Theory — Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• God and Morality — a defence of the Divine Command theory.
• Moral Argument and Divine Command Theory — links to relevant on-line resources from Internet Infidels