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ETHICS THEME 1: DIVINE COMMAND THEORY - Coggle Diagram
ETHICS THEME 1: DIVINE COMMAND THEORY
WHAT IS IT?
Ethical theory that says what is right and wrong is based on what
God
says.
If God
commands
something, it is
good
. If he
forbids
something, it is
bad
.
This is seen in
Genesis 22:2-18
where Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Although killing is wrong, since
God has commanded it
, it would be seen as a
good action
.
Right and wrong is based on
God's command
, not
personal opinions or social norms
.
CHALLENGES TO DCT
Euthyphro dilemma
: Sourced from
Plato's
dialogues. Socrates and Euthyphro await trial, Euthyphro believes he is
virtuous
for
persecuting his father
while Socrates prompts him to
explore the nature of piety
by asking:
Is something good because
God commands it?
Or does God command it because
it is good
?
This lead to 2 interpretations:
Good is commanded by God because
it is good
.
Good is commanded by god,
therefore it is good
.
10 COMMANDMENTS
Set of
biblical
principles that guide moral behaviour, found in the book of
Exodus
.
No other Gods. You shall not have
other Gods
before Me.
No idols: You shall not
make
or
worship idols
.
Don't misuse God's name: You shall not take the name of the Lord in
vain
.
Keep Sabbath day holy: Remember to keep the Sabbath day a day of
rest
.
Honour your parents: Honour your
mother
and
father
.
Don't murder: You shall not
kill
.
Don't commit adultery: You shall not commit
adultery
.
Don't steal: You shall not
steal
.
Don't lie: You shall not bare false witness against your neighbour.
Don't covet: You shall not
covet
your
neighbour's belongings
.
MORAL GOODNESS IS ACHIEVED BY COMPLYING WITH DIVINE COMMAND
Divine Command states 2 things:
Meta-ethical claim: This means that what is good is defined by
what God says
. Goodness is not
up to individual views
.
Normative claim: This is about how
we should act
. It means we ought to obey
God's commands because they are good
.
DIVINE COMMAND AS A REQUIREMENT OF GOD'S OMNIPOTENCE
God is described as
perfectly moral
and
all-powerful (omniscient)
. This means that if God exists, our
moral obligations come from him
.
Because God is powerful and morally perfect, his
commands should be followed
. Ignoring these commands would be unreasonable since
they define what is right
.