Divine Command Theory And The Euthyphro Flashcards
What is Divine command theory?
An act is morally required if it is commanded by God, immoral if forbidden by God.. all others are morally neutral.
Attractiveness of Divine command theory
1) makes morality objective
2) provides strong motivation to be moral
3) captures connection between morality and law
Problems w/ divine command theory
1) non-religious individuals
2) different religions say different things
Context/relevance the Euthyphro
-Socrates charged w/ corrupting the youth and faliure to adhere to religious orthodoxies (impiety)
-Euthyphro accused his father of murder (impiety)
-Euthyphro was confident in his own definition of piety
Central question of the Euthyphro dialogue
What is piety?
What makes for a good definition according to Socrates?
Usefulness and an appropriate scope
Appropriate scope
Covering all particular things that ought to be included, while excluding everything else
Euthyphro’s first attempt
E: “It is pious to prosecute all wrongdoers.”
S: “This is merely an example, not piety, itself.”
Euthyphro’s second attempt
E: “What is dear to the Gods is pious, what is not is impious.”
S: “The Gods do not always agree with one another.”
Euthyphro’s third attempt
E: “What all the Gods love is pious, what all the gods hate is impious.”
S: “Is the pious beloved by the Gods because it is pious, or are things pious because they are beloved by the Gods.”
Euthyphro dilemma
ED: “Is the pious beloved by the Gods because it is pious, or are things pious because they are beloved by the Gods.”
Problem with horn 1 of Euthyphro dilemma
Only states an attribute of piety, places piety above God.
Problem with horn 2 of the Euthyphro dilemma
Either God has a reason for choosing what he loves, in which case reason is the real explanation, or God’s choice has no reason making it arbitrary.
How does the Euthyphro dilemma relate to Divine command theory
It makes the DCT argue that morality is either arbitrary or a product of reason.
