Robert Adams and the DCT Flashcards
robert adams modified DCT (1)
- any action is ethically wrong if and only if it is contrary to the commands of a loving god.
- god cant be subject to a moral law that exists external to him.
- if god is omni- benevolent, then whatever god commands will inevitably reflect this.
robert adams modified DCT (2)
- morality cant be arbitrary because it is grounded in the unchanging omni-benevolent nature of god.
- god and good are not identical. goodness is an essential characteristic of god, it is grounded in the character of god.
- morality is grounded in the character of god, who is perfectly good, then gods commands are rooted in gods character.
roberts adams response to the euthyphro dilemma
> it is wrong to do X, it is contrary to gods commands to do X.
> his theory is an attempt to define what being ethically ‘wrong’ consists of. and accepts that it is only useful to those within a jewish/christian context.
> he emphasises the importance of faith in god, specifically faith in gods goodness, as well as his existence.
> in dealing with the criticism that a seemingly immoral act would be compulsory if god commanded it, he proposes that god does not command cruelty for its own sake.
it would be unthinkable for god to command cruelty because of his omni- benevolent nature.
robert adams response to the arbitrariness problem
- his theory attempts to counter the challenge that morality might be arbitrary, as moral commands are not based solely on the commands of god, but are found on his omni- benevolence.
- attempts to challenge the claim that an external standard of morality prevents god from being sovereign by making him the source of morality and his character the source of moral law.
-he proposes that an action is morally wrong if and only if it defies the commands of a loving god.
if cruelty was commanded, he would not be loving; in this instance gods commands would not have to be obeyed and his theory of ethical wrongness would break down.
