In this essay I intend to give an account of the ‘Divine Command’ theory of morality‚ outline it’s main objections‚ in particular with regard to the ‘Euthyphro Dilemma’ and whether these objections can be answered. The ‘Divine Command’ theory‚ otherwise known as ‘Moral Transcendentalism’‚ is an ethical theory that holds the view that morality is dependent upon some form of transcendent being or God and that morality is ultimately based on the word of character of said God. Thus‚ according to this
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as many people would like you to believe. A very old and important dilemma facing this relationship is the Euthyphro dilemma‚ discussed in Plato’s Euthyphro. In it‚ Socrates and Euthyphro argue about the nature of morality outside of a court. Socrates is being prosecuted for impiety‚ while Euthyphro is charging his father with murder. Although charging your father‚ even for murder‚ is frowned upon in Ancient Greek culture‚ Euthyphro justifies it by claiming that this is similar to what the Gods have
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The Euthyphro Dilemma When assessing the nature of morality‚ one must determine the reasons for believing certain actions to be right or wrong. In the following paragraphs I am going to explain what The Euthyphro Dilemma is and the threat that each of its horns imposes. Then I will defend The Divine Command Theory against these objections and demonstrate how it not only survives the two horns‚ but is also the stronger position to assume. In the Euthyphro‚ Socrates asks the age old question about
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“Examine the key features of the divine command theory and identify its weaknesses.” (21) The view that moral rules are true by virtue of being commanded by God is called the divine command theory. It is a deontological theory and claims that sentences such as "charity is good" mean the same thing as sentences such as "God commands charity”. If you believe that moral actions are good or bad because they are commanded or forbidden‚ certain things must follow. First‚ if they had not been commanded
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Ruth Coronado 9/30/2012 The Euthyphro dilemma is found in Plato’s dialogue Euthyphro‚ in which Socrates asks Euthyphro‚ "Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious‚ or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?" Socrates and Euthyphro discuss the nature of piety in Euthyphro. Euthyphro says that the pious is the same thing as what is loved by the gods‚ but Socrates finds a problem with this: the gods may disagree among themselves. Euthyphro then revises his answer‚ so that piety is
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AC / DCT The Divine Command Theory (DCT) is the view that the morality of our actions is said to be determined by God. It is a system of ideas which claims that the moral perspective of actions is set by determining whether such actions are commanded by God or not. Those actions commanded by God are said to be morally right actions while other actions that are not commanded by God are said to be morally wrong. The DCT claims that God is the judge of all that is right and wrong. He does so by commanding
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accurate because God commands them‚ or does God command them because they are right? The Divine Command Theory plays a very important roll in answering these types of questions‚ however is disproved by the Euthyphro Dilemma. In this essay‚ a plausible argument will be proposed solving the Euthyphro Dilemma‚ but will then be objected for criticism. I will then offer a solution as to why this objection towards the Euthyphro Dilemma can be disproved. The Divine Command Theory purely states that
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While in utilitarianism an action is held to be good according to the amount of utility and happiness it can produce; divine command theory believes that an action is only morally good if it is the result of the action being commanded by God. With respect to the argument of whether killing someone is morally worse than letting someone die; an advocate of divine command theory would state that as humans‚ we do not have the right the dictate whether a person lives or dies. Therefore letting someone
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Divine command theory is a ethical theory which proposes that an actions status as morally good is equivalent to whether it is commanded by God. According to this theory God telling us makes something morally right. In a sense whatever God said is morally right and what he said is wrong is not moral. This is a religion based ethical theory‚ because if you believe in God you would believe that actions that are morally good were commanded by God and if you do not believe in God you wouldn’t believe
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The theory can “provide sufficiently clear moral direction and an adequate sense of duty” (Cowan and Spiegel‚ 2009). This theory is based on the fact that God is the creator of the laws governing morality and that he commands them; in that he would be against abortion and considered Pro-Life. Cowan and Spiegel state that “an implicit divine command about the morality of abortion may be inferred from” the biblical scripture Exodus
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