Theme 1A - DCT Flashcards
What is divine command theory also known as?
Theological voluntarism
What do those who accept divine command ethics look to, to provide moral standards?
sacred texts
What type of theory is DCT?
- Deontological
- Absolutist
- Meta - ethical
- Normative
- Objective
What does deontological mean?
Humans have a duty to act on God’s law regardless of consequences
What does absolutist mean?
A theory that provides a standard of right and wrong that is binding on all humans
What does meta - ethical mean?
Concerned with the meaning of ethical terms, nature of ethical statements and the foundations of moral principles
What does normative mean?
The study of moral rules of right and wrong that underline specific ethical thoughts
What does objective mean?
independent of personal feelings or view
What is DCT?
- God as the origin and regulator of morality
- Right and wrong as objective truths based on God’s will
- Moral goodness is achieved by following divine law
- Divine command as a requirement of God’s omnipotence
- Divine command as the objective metaphysical foundation for morality
What does it mean that God is the origin and regulator of morality in DCT?
- Morality is determined by God
- The commands are normally found in the sacred texts
- God checks human behaviour
What does it mean that right and wrong are objective truths based on God’s will in DCT?
- Morality is not influenced by personal choices
- Humans have no authority, only God
What does it mean that moral goodness is achieved by following divine command?
- The only way to be morally good is to follows Gods command
- Punishment for those who don’t follow (Hell) and reward for those that follow (Heaven)
What does it mean that divine command is a requirement of God’s omnipotence?
- DCT is a natural consequence of God’s omnipotence
- God has power over everything - otherwise something else would be more powerful
What does it mean that divine command is the objective metaphysical foundation for morality?
Objective: moral facts
metaphysical: What lies beyond the physical world, not testable
What are the two forms of DCT?
Weak and strong form
What is the weak form of DCT?
God has provided boundaries and guidance to help humans with decision making
What is the strong form of DCT?
God has rules, that must be followed to be morally good
What is an example of a divine command?
Ten Commandments
What is the quote by Frankena to use for DCT?
“The standard of right and wrong is the will or law of God:
What is the quote by William of Ockham to use for DCT?
‘With him a thing becomes right solely because he wants it so”
What is the quote by Grayling to use for DCT?
“Sin is disobedience to the commands of God, virtue is obedience”
What are the three challenges to DCT?
- Euthyphro dillema
- Arbitrariness problem
- Pluralism objection
Who developed the euthyphro dilemma?
- One of Plato’s first works
- It was socrates dilemma
How many horns are there in the euthyphro dillema?
2
What is the first horn of the euthyphro dilemma?
- Morality dependant on the God’s
- The God’s decide what’s right and wrong
- He could change what’s morally right and wrong so they could make an act moral which humans deem wicked
What is horn 2 of the euthyphro dilemma?
- Morality is independent of God’s
- If morality is independent of God’s then the God’s are not omnipotent and can be judged.
- If the God’s are not omnipotent then it throws into the question the 10 fundamental characteristics of God
What is the arbitrariness problem as a challenge to DCT?
- Arbitrary: based on random chance or whim, rather than any reason or system
- If morality is based solely on God’s commands it is not an adequate basis for what is right and wrong
- E.g. God told Abraham to kill his son Isaic, which goes against God’s teachings. This shows that God was allowing murder, which could show he randomly changed his mind on what’s moral, which makes DCT invalid
What is the pluralism objection as a challenge to DCT?
- Religious pluralism is that there is many religions in society
- Different religions have different beliefs
- Islam have dietary restrictions whereas christianity don’t
- Disagreements in Christianity wether to allow same sex marriage
- This shows there cannot be an absolute set of rules as every religion has different rules, so there is no one set of rules to follow
How did Robert Adams modify the DCT?
- God is all loving - based on the assumption that God loves humanity. So evil deeds can never be good as if you follow a all loving God, the God can’t do evil
-Any action is wrong if it goes against the commands of a loving God - Adams solved horn 1 of the euthyphro dilemma: morality is based on God’s unchanging benevolence so God cannot command cruelty. Morality is based on Gods command and benevolence
- Adams solved horn 2 because God is the source of morality as morality originates from the character of God. Moral law is a feature of God’s nature
