The Doctrine Of Divine Command Theory Essay - 1665 Words

Divine Command Theory â€Å"If God does not exist, then everything is permitted,† in other words, if there turns out to be no God then nothing is morally wrong. Someone who would believe a statement such as this one would most likely be in agreement with the Divine Command Theory---the reason being that the main claim in this theory is, all that is morally right, is right because God commands it so. Therefore in order to believe in the Divine Command Theory, one would need to be a strong believer in God---and would truly believe that if there were no God, morality would be absent. With this in mind, if God is the creator of all that is morally right, and there turns out to be no god at all, then nothing is morally wrong or can be capable of being morally wrong---would be a statement that non-believers of the Divine Command Theory would believe, and believe that morality can exist on its own, with or without a God. In this paper I will focus on the Divine Command Theory in rela tion to the statement above, and those who would oppose this statement. In doing so, I will attempt to show why I believe that those opposing this statement have a more plausible view. First, I will explain what Divine Command Theory is in more detail, and why someone would believe this theory because of its claims to morality. Robert Mortimer is the creator of this theory and he makes many claims as to why God is the sole reason that morality exists. First, it must be known that people reject the ideaShow MoreRelatedThe Doctrine Of The Divine Command Theory Essay1434 Words   |  6 Pagespaper argues that Utilitarianism is a better ethical theory than many others proposed like the Divine Command Theory, which is the concept that morality is tied strictly to God and Immanuel Kant’s Duty Defined Morality, which has two distinct moral imperatives, because utilitarianism focusses on the benefit of the many which far outweighs the well-being of a single person. 2. Explanation of Philosophical Views The Divine Command Theory is a theory that morals are solely connected to religious beliefRead MoreThe Doctrine Of The Divine Command Theory1377 Words   |  6 Pagessome of the most thought provoking theories and ideas from some of the greatest philosophers. One of those theories is the Divine Command theory. The Divine Command theory tries to explain the relation between God and what is morally correct and there have been many philosophers who have taken very opposing views on the theory in order to determine of society should accept this theory. According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Divine Command theory is â€Å"the view that morality is somehowRead MoreThe Doctrine Of The Divine Command Theory884 Words   |  4 PagesThe divine command theory states that â€Å"An act is morally required just because it is commanded by God and immoral just because God forbids it† (Shafer-Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, p.67). In interviewing an Elder of a local Jehovah’s Witness congregation on the ethics involved in religion, he agreed that the divine command theory is correct, and that there are many commands and things that are forbidden in the bible that are considered to be God’s standards for the way we live our lives. ButRead MoreThe Doctrine Of The Divine Command Theory1237 Words   |  5 PagesThe Divine Command Theory dictates that â€Å"An act is morally required just because it is commanded by God, and immoral just because God forbids it (Shafer-Landau 65).† This view is often a ccepted by religious people as the basis for morality; the morality of an action is determined by whether or not it is commanded by God. However, there are multiple problems presented by this line of thinking. One of the most common arguments against this theory is known as the Euthyphro Dilemma, derived from Plato’sRead MoreThe Doctrine Of The Divine Command Theory1488 Words   |  6 Pagesmorality is centered on assessing the ethical implications of us as people. Who we ought and be, and what actions we ought to take or avoid based on an understanding of the scripture and relevant human experiences. I do not subscribe to the divine command theory (DCT) of ethics, as I believe you can have ethics without God. The DCT proposes that what is morally right is what God has commanded (for example, love thy neighbor), and what is forbidden by God is morally wrong (i.e. murder), yet there areRead MoreThe Doctrine Of The Divine Command Theory914 Words   |  4 PagesRachels describ es the Divine Command theory as weak because it makes morality mysterious. According to the Divine Command Theory, nothing is good nor bad, unless God’s thinking makes it so. For example, child abuse. Child abuse is wrong, but according to this theory, it is neither right nor wrong (because the God’s have not commanded it so). If the God’s were to command that child abuse was right, this still does not make child abuse right, so therefore this theory is untenable and makes us furtherRead MoreThe Divine Command Theory And The Doctrine Dilemma Essay1448 Words   |  6 PagesThe Divine Command Theory is the idea that morality is ingrained in the nature and command of God, and the Euthyphro Dilemma is one of the most common arguments refuting the Divine Command Theory. The argument was inspired by Plato’s Euthyphro dialogue, which contains the question â€Å"Are morally good acts willed by god because they are morally good? Or are morally good acts, mor ally good because they are willed by god?† (Euthyphro, 10a). This question raises large problems for the Divine Command TheoryRead MoreThe Divine Command Theory And Euthyphro Problem Essay974 Words   |  4 PagesIn this paper, I will discuss about the Divine Command Theory and Euthyphro Problem and show how the Euthyphro Problem makes the Divine Command Theory morality arbitrary. Also, I will discuss why one does not have to reject the belief in God due to the Divine Command Theory cannot give a satisfactory answer to the Euthyphro Problem. First, I will define what the Divine Command Theory is and discuss its attractive features that answer the problem about the objectivity of ethnics. Second, I will defineRead MoreThe Divine Command Theory : Capital Punishment And Abortion Essay1128 Words   |  5 PagesThe Divine Command Theory is the assertion in ethics that an action is morally right if, and only if, it conforms to God’s will. This premise ties together moralit y and religion in a manner that seems expected, since it provides a solution to arguments about moral relativism and the objectivity of ethics. On the other hand, in Plato’s Euthyphro, Socrates questions whether something is right because God commands it, or whether God commands it because it is right. The ethical implications of theRead MoreDeontological and Teleological Ethical Theory1660 Words   |  7 Pagesof Teleological Ethics 1. Utilitarianism – Utilitarian moral theory is classical utilitarianism, 2. Varieties of ancient Greek virtue ethics – Aristotle Ethics is an Example a. The goal of ethics is to explain how one achieves the good life for human beings. There are only two basic kinds of prescriptive moral theories: teleological theories, deontological theories TELEOLOGICAL ETHICAL THEORIES Teleological moral theories locate moral goodness in the consequences of our behavior and not