Divine command theory

God as the origin and regulator of morality. Right and wrong as objective truths based on Gods commands. Key supporter Robert Adams

What kind of theory is DCT?

DOA - Deontological, objective, absolute/

• Deontological - obligation to follow Gods commands

• objective - not based on personal feelings

• absolute - definite, universal standard of right and wrong that binds all of humanity.

What kind of ethic is DCT, what is its main belief about morality?

• Divine Command Theory is a religious ethic that believes that an action’s status as morally good or bad is completely commanded by God.

• e.g. stealing is only morally bad because God commands it that way.

DCT on God as the origin and regulator of morality?

• Divine command theorists believe that what is moral is determined by what God commands, therefore DCT believes that morality is ultimately completely dependent upon the commands of God.

• Frankena - ‘the standard of right and wrong is the will of God.’

• The specific content of these divine commands varies according to different religions.

• However all versions of the theory hold in common the claim that morality and human moral obligations, ultimately depend upon God.

• Rev John - ‘they come down direct from heaven and are eternally valid.’

Where do those who accept DCT look to, to learn commands? - God as the origin and regulator of morality

• sacred texts

• e.g. the bible for Christians.

• one of the ten commandments ‘you shall not murder’

• humanity knows murder is morally wrong as God commanded this.

Right and wrong as objective truths based on God’s will?

• Right and wrong are objective truths.

• Morality/right and wrong is not influenced by humanities personal feelings, opinions or reasonings about what is right or wrong as God has commanded it this way.

• God’s will alone decides what is right and wrong and human feelings etc on morality have no authority - God has total authority.

• Ockham - ‘A thing becomes right solely because he wants it to.’

DCT on moral goodness being achieved by complying with divine commands?

• If a person wishes to be moral the only way to do this is to follow Gods commands.

• moral obligation consists of being obedient to Gods commands.

• The Quran is full of teachings that consist of God asserting his moral law

• e.g. in terms of adultery - ‘And go not high to fornication; surely it is an indecency and an evil way.’

• (People should already know certain things like adultery are wrong already, do we really need Gods commands?)

• some followers of Christianity, Judaism and Islam believe not following Gods commands can lead to a moral agent facing Gods wrath.

• e.g. Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. - for not following God’s command.

• The idea that moral goodness is achieved by following divine commands is supported in the bible.

• ‘God will be merciful to you if you listen and keep to all his commands’

Divine command as a requirement of Gods omnipotence?

• Supporters of DCT justify the theory by stating that it is a natural consequence of Gods omnipotence.

• An omnipotent God by definition must have complete power over everything - including morality.

• If God did not have complete power over morality this would suggest that God is not all-powerful.

• This is because if God did not control morality ‘something else’ must control what it right and wrong - making that ‘something else’ more powerful than God and destroying his omnipotence.

• Therefore God has to control morality or he wouldn’t be omnipotent.

• Therefore, if a religious believer accepts God is omnipotent - they must also have to accept the principles of DCT i.e. God is the creator of morality.

Divine command theory as an objective meta-physical foundation for morality?

• DCT is a normative ethic which raises a meta-ethical question, ‘is ethical behaviour dependent on a divine being.’

• Normative ethics - an attempt to give moral agents a guide (norm) to what is right and wrong, gives a set of actual rules for human behaviour. So DCT will say the guide (norm) is we should obey God’s commands.

• Meta ethics - looks ebeyond ethical theories and asks questions about the origins of the language of morality and the meanings or the terms good and bad.

• DCT answers these questions by telling us ‘goodness’ is what God commands and is beyond the ordinary workings of the empirical world.

Who is Robert Adams and what did he produce?

• A key figure - His version of DCT is called 'Modified Divine Command Theory.’

• tackles the Euthyphro dilemma.

What does Adams start by saying?

• Adams starts by restating the normal DCT

• e.g. ‘X’ is wrong because God has commanded ‘X’ to be wrong, therefore it is God that commands moral truths.

• e.g. God commands that stealing is wrong and therefore it is an eternal and universal moral truth that stealing is wrong - thus it becomes our religious duty not to steal.

• He is emphasising this point

What is the Euthyphro dilemma?

• If God were to command that ‘X’ is moral, when human logic concludes it is immoral, a seemingly immoral act would become a moral truth and humanities duty would be to follow it.

• e.g. If God commanded that murder was good, then DCT would have to conclude that this was a moral truth - even though human logic would conclude murder is wrong.

• Therefore DCT allows God to command cruelty

• e.g. obey your parents - what if they are abusive?

How does Adams challenge the Euthyphro dilemma?

• Adams concedes that it is logically possible for God to command cruelty because he is omnipotent

• However Adams claims that it would be unthinkable for God to do this because of his omnibenevolent nature.

• Adams argues that God’s omnibenevolent nature will be rooted in the moral commands He has given.

• Therefore it would be impossible for God to command anything that is cruel because this would counter his omnibenevolent nature.

• Adam states ‘Any action is ethically wrong if and only if it is contrary to the commands of a loving God.’

• The emphasis is on the word ‘loving’ - Thus, if cruelty appeared to be divinely commanded Adam argues that this cannot be a true command of God.

What are the strengths of DCT?

• It fits with the Christian idea that God is omnipotent and the creator. - This is the idea of divine sovereignty.

• It is an objective moral system, not based on human emotions or consequences. - It is universal. Which can be easily accepted because it does not rely on scientific research or philosophers agreeing on ethics.

• It emphasises the virtue of obedience - people obeying God’s commands.

• The main principles of morality are set out in religious texts which guides humans throughout their life and makes it easier for them to live a good life as they will be more prepared when faced with moral concerns.

• It has stood the test of time and has been adapted by Robert Adams to be more convincing and address some of its weaknesses.

What are the challenges to DCT?

• The Euthyphro dilemma

• The arbitrariness problem

• The pluralism objection

What is the Euthyphro dilemma? - challenges

• The Euthyphro dilemma was proposed by Ancient Greek philosopher Plato.

• What if God were to command that ‘X’ is moral when human logic would conclude ‘X’ is immoral.

• E.g. if God commands that murder was moral then DCT would have to concede that this was a moral truth.

• Therefore, ultimately DCT allows God to command cruelty.

• In other words, does God command something because it is morally right, or is something morally right because it is commanded by God?

What is the arbitrariness problem? - challenges

• The arbitrariness problem proposes that DCT appears to render the content of morality arbitrary.

• (arbitrary means based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or ethical system.)

• If DCT is true, the problem states, then what is good and bad depends on nothing more than God’s whim.

• Even if they are God’s whims, this is not an adequate foundation for universal morality.

What is the pluralism objection? - challenges

• In a world of religious pluralism, it is impossible to know which god’s (or religion’s) commands should be followed.

• Especially because some religious commands seem to contradict other religious commands, making it impossible to accept all of them .

• E.g. in Islam it is seen that God commands that divorce is morally acceptable but in Christianity it is not.

• Moreover, even if a person believes that one religion is correct, there remains a plurality/lots of understandings within specific religious traditions, with respect what God commands us to do.

• E.g. Catholic Christians generally believe that God commands contraception is wrong, but Protestant Christians generally believe God does not command this.