The last theory is Aristotles virtue ethics which states that we should move from the concern towards good action and to focus on the concern with good character. What are the weaknesses of the Divine Command Theory? In this essay, I have decided to explain and evaluate the divine command theory (DCT). Good, in the end, triumphs over evil. Outline That is, sooner or later, when we are seeking an answer to the question By virtue of what does good supervene on these characteristics? we ultimately reach either a general principle or an individual paradigm. This, however, is incoherent. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Registered office: International House, Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3XE. This can be interpreted as divine command also known as theological voluntarism, which are laws that God command to his children to follow. Also, if God is subject to an external law, he is not sovereign or omnipotent, which would challenge the orthodox conception of God. Instead of religion creating morals, Broom. The theory to be discussed is the Divine Command Theory and Driver discusses the role of God in assessing morality. In Matthew 5:38 an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth are examples of how if someone kills someone then that person deserves to die (King James Bible Online, 2015). You will plunge into the world of miracles, magic and sorcery, which is not so distant as it seems . He then claims that the way to obtain this happiness is to love the right objects, that is, those that are worthy of our love, in the right way. If we take happiness to be the ultimate aim of all human activity, then the ultimate aim of all of our moral activity is also happiness. So, this community must depend upon the ethical prohibition against murder when evaluating Abrahams actions. In his Some Suggestions for Divine Command Theorists, William Alston (1990) offers some advice to advocates of Divine Command Theory, which Alston believes will make the view as philosophically strong as it can be. The moral law imposes the obligation that p. Alston, William. There are many opponents of the Divine Command Theory but very few have plausible arguments. The religions of the world often give conflicting accounts of the nature and content of the commands of God. A.Universal Ethics The divine command theory focuses on the conception that Gods command James Rachels 's critique of the Divine Command Theory in "The Elements of Moral Theory" rests on three points. Proponents of the Euthyphro dilemma might claim that divine command theory is conspicuously erroneous because either answer challenges the competency of God to give moral, Also when something went wrong, they just blamed it on the devil or witchery. The weaknesses of this theory are best shown by Platos dialogue, Euthyphro, which poses a question. For a command of Gods to be relevant to our moral obligations in any particular instance, God must be good. 1. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. It should be pointed out that for the theist who wants to argue from the existence of objective moral properties back to the existence of God, Adams stronger claim, namely, that an action is wrong if and only if it goes against the commands of a loving God, should be taken as a necessary truth, rather than a contingent one. The specific content of these divine commands varies according to the particular religion and the particular views of the individual divine command theorist, but all versions of the theory hold in common the claim that morality and moral obligations ultimately depend on God. However, Divine Command Theory is consistent with the belief that numerous religions contain moral truth, and that we can come to know our moral obligations apart from revelation, tradition, and religious practice. Must be words 300-400 words total each question and with 4 ref total please answer the following: Question 1: Assess the strengths and weaknesses of Divine Command Theory. That is, an action such as torturing someone for fun is ethically wrong, irrespective of whether anyone actually believes that it is wrong, and it is wrong because it is contrary to the commands of a loving God. These advanta Divine Command Theory: The Euthyphro Dilemma This Philosophy and religion are similar in this sense; they both are morally influential. WebWeaknesses of ethical egoism (contradictory and unrealistic) People will be left to there own devices, are we "capable of enlightened self interest" so are we capable of acting for our own self interest but in a kind way (considerate way) Students also viewed Kantian Ethics Strengths and Weaknesses 36 terms DXA793 Divine command theory 10 terms This is so because it becomes difficult to know whether moral goodness is independent of the will of God or if it is as a result of His will. Copyright Get Revising 2023 all rights reserved. You can refer to the answers. Surely there is no better source for deciding what is right and wrong than God's unchanging law, God knows us best: God is objective, as well as our creator. The theory to be discussed is the Divine Command Theory and Driver discusses the role of God in assessing morality. This theory has many weaknesses to it because we do not know what religion is the best or what God approves of. , Explain the challenges to the divine command theory (20) , Objective: If God is the source of morality then we are not responsible for determining a moral decision, but simply making it according to God's teachings, If God is the source of morality, then his teachings will inevitably be moral, God is non-physical and greater than the human mind can understand, just as morals are, so it is logical to say that they share this relationship, Plato's Euphyphro Dilemma: questions whether God IS the source of morality, or whether he just COMMANDS what is moral, If God doesn't exist, then he cannot be the source of morality, Theory excludes atheists; if everyone does not believe in God, they will not live according to his morals- not Universafiable, It is difficult to interpret God's teachings, and hence his morals also. Absolute Simplicity., Stump, Eleonore. 1.Karl Barth, The Command of God Nielsen adds the skeptical doubt that human beings do not have any ultimate function that we must fulfill to be truly happy. The body of Christ needs to step up and not depend on our government. Hence, God is no longer absolutely sovereign. In Julia Drivers 2007 piece, God and Human Nature, theories are discussed in order to convey a better understanding of morality and how it is determined. On the contrary, if God forbids rape because it is morally wrong, then it is wrong prior to God ordering it to be wrong. Just because I have a set religion and God that I believe in does not mean that someone elses view is wrong. Therefore, we, I have always just accepted that whatever God commands is the morally right action and have never really thought about the arguments against it. Not always is this an easy task thus, it seems important to analyze how we make our moral decisions. Pick your pack now. Then to prove that a person is siding with the devil a person had to recite the commandments. So we have no strength and weaknesses & we are just we are. If God created human beings, then God has an absolute claim on our obedience. Adams argues that a modified divine command theorist wants to saythat an act is wrong if and only if it is contrary to Gods will or commands (assuming God loves us) (121). Before I explain Divine Command Theory first I want to explain morality according to Quinn. Our choice is to go our own way or to follow. Given human nature, some activities and character traits will fulfill us, and some will not. Christians don't abide by this, Jews do. The Divine Command Theory focuses on questions of moral obligation and ethical choice. A person with a Christian worldview would base their ethical dilemma decision on their beliefs and the instructions that Gods word provides. The last objection to note is that given the variety and number of religions in the world, how does the divine command theorist know which (putatively) divine commands to follow? Yet, the correlation between the two seems to be less concrete with research showing that [c]ountries with high rates of religiosity tend to have higher rates of homicide, juvenile mortality (including suicide), sexually transmitted diseases and adolescent pregnancy, and abortion ( 45). Get Revising is one of the trading names of The Student Room Group Ltd. Register Number: 04666380 (England and Wales), VAT No. The reason for this, according to Donagan, is that a divine command must express Gods reason in order for it to be expressive of a divine law. 1983. You can't expect an Atheist to accept the teachings of a being they don't even accept as real. Socrates can be understood as asking Does God command this particular action because it is morally right, or is it morally right because God commands it? It is in answering this question that the divine command theorist encounters a difficulty. -Moral duties are absolute. Edward Wierenga (1989) points out that there are many ways to conceive of the connection between God and morality. This suggests that no action can be held as being morally good unless God commands it. Because of these premises, adherents believe that moral obligation is obedience to Gods commands; what is morally right is what God desires. But why be moral is important,to answer this question many people across the entire universe rely upon religion. A divine command theory refers to the relationship between Gods commandments and how humans behave. 1.What makes Moral Creatures Moral Please upgrade to Cram Premium to create hundreds of folders! Good luck, 10+ divine command theory strengths and weaknesses most standard, 1.Divine Command Theory Strengths and Weaknesses Quizlet, 2.Divine command theory Flashcards Quizlet, 4.Divine Command Theory Religious Studies Get Revising, 5.Divine Command Theory | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 6.Stengths and weaknesses of Divine command theory Cram.com, 7.Pros And Cons Of The Divine Command Theory IPL.org. Elsewhere, Quinn (1979) considers a different relationship between divine commands and moral obligations. John Arthur (2005) puts the point this way: If God approves kindness because it is a virtue and hates the Nazis because they were evil, then it seems that God discovers morality rather than inventing it (20, emphasis added). Find out how you can intelligently organize your Flashcards. Therefore, the Divine Command theory is true. This is also incoherent. B/c if God is universal than other people are wrong. a.Practical Reason and Practical Reasons We would be obligated to do so, because God commanded it. Significantly, the doctrine asserts that a monarch is not accountable to any earthly authority (such as a parliament) because their right to rule is derived from divine authority. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like why must god command all Hence, morality is not arbitrary nor would God command cruelty for its own sake, because Gods nature is fixed and unchanging, and to do so would violate it. See more on human trafficking from my previous articles below: Blissful Faith started as a lifestyle and branched into a blog to help others hear about Jesus Christ and how they too can develop a blissful faith through knowing God. Also, people dont always remember to practice memorizing those commandments. One thing I struggled with was impulsiveness. Whether it was eating random bad food, going out drinking, taking a nap, choosing fun things over stu Thus divine commands can be constitutive of moral obligations for those beings who have them without it being the case that Gods goodness consists in His obeying His own commands, or, indeed, consists in any relation whatsoever of God to His commands (p. 315). Its a combination of a fertile environment for the growth as well as the reference of ancient Greek philosophy. First of all, lets make it clear God could have created us differently. The reason for this is that Abrahams community does not know whether the command to kill Isaac was a legitimate divine command, or some delusion of Abrahams. For example, God may be disposed to love human beings, treat them with compassion, and deal with them fairly. WebDivine command theory has many weaknesses. So, if S has consented to be a follower of a particular religion, and if the requirements of that religion are just and fair, and if S benefits from this arrangement, then S can incur obligations via divine commands. 1998. 806 8067 22, Registered office: International House, Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3XE, IB Philosophy of Ethics: Situation Ethics, Normative Ethics Revision - Duty-based, Consequentialist, Virtue Ethics, IB Metaethics revision of Ethical Naturalism (Universalism), Moral Relativism, and Emotivism (non-cognitivism), Philosophy- Core- Free Will vs. Determinism, b) Deontological ethics is inflexible. God does not consult some independent Platonic realm where the objective principles of goodness exist, but rather God just acts according to his necessarily good character. According to Quinn answering this question that the Divine Command Theory have no strength and weaknesses & are! Theory has many weaknesses to it because we do not know what religion is the Command... 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