Chapter 4 Flashcards
According to Rachel’s in popular thinking (morality/religion)
morality and religion are inseparable.
According to Rachel’s morality can only be understood…
people commonly believe that morality can be understood only in the context of religion.
According to Rachel’s because clergy are authorities on religion…
because clergy are authorities on religion, they are assumed to be authorities on morality as well.
According to the scientific of the world
it is a cold, meaningless place, devoid of purpose and meaning.
From a religious perspective
the world was created by a loving, all powerful God to provide a home for us.
Christians, Jews and Muslims
all believe that God has told us to obey certain rules of conduct.
Divine command theory basically says
a. morally right is a matter of being commanded by God.
b. morally wrong is a matter of being forbidden by God.
Divine command theory basically says that (ethics)
ethics is not a matter of personal feelings or social custom.
According to Divine command theory whether something is right or wrong
is objective.
According to Rachel’s one of the most important questions in Plato’s philosophy is
is conduct right because the gods command it, or do the gods command it because it is right?
According to Divine Command theory
nothing is good or bad, except when God’s thinking makes it so.
According to Rachel’s Divine Command theory has difficulties because (3)
- this conception of morality is mysterious.
- this conception of morality makes God’s commands arbitrary.
- this conception of morality provides the wrong reasons for moral principles.
In the history of Christian thought the dominate theory is
the theory of natural law.
The theory of natural law maintains that
the world has a rational order, with values and purposes built into its very nature.
The Ancient Greeks believed
everything in nature has a purpose.
For the Ancient Greeks the idea that everything has a purpose is called
Teleology.
For Aristotle the world
is an orderly, rational system, with each thing having its own place and serving its special purpose.
Christian thinkers found the idea that the world has a natural order
congenial.
Christian thinkers thought “the laws of nature”
describe not only how things are, but also how things ought to be.
According to Christian thinkers
a. we have the duty of beneficence.
b. we are morally required to care about our neighbors.
The theory of natural law
Outside of the Catholic Church has few advocates today.
“What’s natural is good” seems open to obvious counterexamples such as
sometimes what is natural is bad.
Natural law theory confuses
what “is” the case, with what “ought” to be the case.
The “natural laws” of Natural law theory that specify what we should do are
laws of reason.
According to Natural law theory moral judgments are
dictates of reason
According to Rachel’s because for many the teaching of scriptures and the church are regarded as authoritative
it is often difficult to find specific moral guidance in the scriptures.
According to Rachel’s (scriptures and church tradition)
the scriptures and church tradition are often ambiguous.
According to Rachel’s the conclusion of chapter is that
a. Right and wrong are not to be understood in terms of God’s will.
b. morality is a matter of reason and conscience, not religious faith.
