Divine Command Theory Flashcards
Ethics meaning
Character
Morality meaning
Customs
Ethical theory
Methods of making moral decisions
Applied ethics
Debates about specific delimas
Teleological ethics
An action is wrong depending on situation/consequences
Moral relativism (Teleological)
No universally valid moral principles
Deontological ethics
An action is right or wrong in itself
Moral absolutism (Deontological)
Moral principles are universally valid
Divine command theory (1)
God is all powerful so has total freedom to do whatever he wishes
Divine command theory (2)
God chooses not to act unfairly because that would be inconsistent with his nature
Divine command theory (3)
God orders the universe by his divine law
Divine command theory (4)
Humans, being powerless, should obey Gods law
Meta-ethical theory
Tells us what is good and how we can tell from what is bad
What is the Euthyphro dilemma?
Is that which is holy loved by the Gods because it is holy or because it is loved by the Gods?
What does morality become if God gets to choose?
It may become arbitrary (random)
What is the emptiness problem?
Saying e.g “God is good” is empty because there’s no evidence of this (tautologies)
Who created the modified divine command theory?
Robert adams
What was the point of the modified divine command theory?
It is logically possible for God to make ‘evil’ commands because he is omnipotent but due to his omnibenevolent nature,if cruelty was commanded he would not be loving. Adam’s argues that if something defies God’s loving nature then it should not have to be obeyed
What is the arbitrariness problem?
Divine command theory bases morality on whims,God is not bound to morality and therefore he a declare anything and make it good
What is pluralism objection
How do we know which system is correct if many ethical systems have commonalities and differences
What are some strengths of divine command theory?
- Objective,not based on human emotion
2.Virtue of obedience (Ephesians 6:6)
3.Universalisible
4.Fits in with ‘God is the creator’
5.Omnipotence - divine sovereignty
Where is the story of Abraham and Isaac taken from?
Genesis 22:2
How does morality originate from God?
- God is the regulator of morality
2.Right and wrong objective truths are based on God’s command
3.Moral goodness is achieved by complying with divine command theory
What is meta-ethics?
Tells us the nature of morality and how we can tell what is good from what is bad
