Does it matter to morality whether God exists?

What are two ways god might be thought to be essential to morality?

1. Motivation

   1.  God gives people have moral incentive to do things, if there was no god, people would just do the wrong thing

2. Content

   1. God tells us what we're supposed to do or the "bible" or something (10 commandments…. etc)

Explain the significance of this quote:  

"Any appeal to God in this connection [i.e., regarding moral motivation] either adds nothing at all, or it adds the wrong thing." - Bernard Williams, Morality (Cambridge UP, 1972), 65.

• "adds nothing" - you already have the obligation to tell the truth, swearing to tell the truth on God does nothing to explain or add to the obligation.

• "adds the wrong thing" - opens you to divine punishment if you do the wrong thing, provides an incentive if you do the right thing

  • If god if the reason you do the good thing (to avoid punishment),, then is that act necessarily morally good, or motivated by a morally good reason?

  • Makes God into a punisher

Translate the Euthyphro and Socrates question into 2 points:

1. Are morally good acts good (and bad ones bad) because God declares them to be good (or bad), or,

2. does God declare them to be morally good (or bad) because they are good (or bad)?

What is Antony’s stance on these two possibilities?

Option 1 is morally and theologically unattractive.

--> If god could just arbitrarily decide what was right or wrong by a whim, that would be unsatisfying

If option 2 is true, it does not matter to morality whether God exists.