God and Morality — Divine Command Theory & Metaethics

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture on God, morality, divine command theory, metaethics, and related concepts.

Divine Command Theory

A metaethical view that right and wrong are defined by the commands or will of God; an action is right if God commands or wills it, and wrong otherwise.

Metaethics

The branch of ethics that examines the grounding, status, and nature of moral judgments rather than prescribing what to do.

Normative Ethics

The branch of ethics that prescribes what people ought to do; it tells you what is right or wrong in actions.

Grounding of Morality

The foundational basis for moral properties and judgments; in this discussion, morality is grounded in God.

Moral Relativism

The view that moral judgments depend on cultures, societies, or individuals; no single universal moral truth.

Moral Objectivity

The view that there are objective moral truths; divine command theory claims objectivity by grounding morality in God.

Commands and Will of God

The content of what God commands or wills; determines what is right or wrong.

Natural Law Theory

A religious ethical approach closely related to moral naturalism, with a God element grounding morality in nature and divine law.

Euthyphro Dilemma

Philosophical problem for divine command theory: is something good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is good?

Atheists and Divine Command Theory

A challenge noting that nonbelievers would require evidence of God's existence and knowledge of His commands to accept the theory.

Moral Motivation in Divine Command Theory

Divine commands provide motivation to act morally (obedience to God or fear of judgment) since they ground why one should be moral.

Clergy as Moral Experts

The idea that clergy are treated as moral authorities despite limited formal ethics training, implying religion equals morality in practice.