Quiz #2

Where does morality come from? - Subjective

Morality is based upon human perceptions

Subjective Morality - Types

Individualism

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Humanitarianism

Individualism - Definition

Morality is based upon personal interests

Humanitarianism - Definition

Human relationships

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Morality arises from social relationships

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The networking of human needs and interests

Where does morality come from? - Nihilism

Moral Nihilism

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There are no moral values or norms

What is the relationship of morality and law?

Morally Unjust Law

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Morally Lax Law

Morally Unjust Law

Something can be legally required and immoral

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Ex: Throwing Hebrew babies in the Nile River in the OT

Morally Lax Law

Something can be legally allowed and still be immoral

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Ex: Prostitution, same-sex marriage

What is the relationship between morality and religion?

The difficulty of proving supernatural existence

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Religion is emotive, not rational

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Nonreligious people can be moral

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How to decide which religion?

Does theism make a difference? If God exists…

Cosmic justice reigns - Theism makes a difference because there is a figure of authority

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Good will win out over evil

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We are accountable to Him - Ethics is not horizontal, it is also vertical

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The moral motivation goes beyond the temporal cosmos

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If God created us in His image, then all people are of equal worth

Why be moral?

Self-Interest

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Tradition and Law

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Common Human Needs

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To glorify and please God

Common Human Needs responses

No morality for the hermit?

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What is a human?

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Life has no inherit or intrinsic value

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Does not solve the problem of the powerful evil person

Individual Relativism

The morality of a choice or act depends on one’s personal views and varies accordingly

If you are consistent with taking the individual relativism view…

There would be no meaningful moral decision making

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All constructive discussion about morality ends

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Believing something does not necessarily make it true

Cultural Relativism

The morality of a choice or act depends on one’s society or culture and varies accordingly

Summary of Cultural Relativism

Cultures have different views of right and wrong - Descriptive

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Right and wrong depend on one’s society and culture - Prescriptive

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Moral universals that apply to all people at all times do not exist - Descriptive

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We should practice moral tolerance - Prescriptive

Response to Cultural Relativism

It is hard to be completely inclusivistic

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Some would argue that there are universal principles behind all cultures - Incest, murder of innocent victim in your own people group

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One cannot resolve conflicts between cultures

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Subcultures and generational differences

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No reformers

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The scheme jumps from *is* to an *ought* - Just because something is descriptive, does not mean it should be prescriptive

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No one can be tolerant of everything all the time

Why is Relativism so popular?

The decline of religion

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The pains of past ethnocentrism

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Neutrality is encouraged

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The plead for tolerance

Why is Relativism unworkable?

In the end you cannot have a meaningful discussion and it is not very tolerant

Moral Absolutism

There are objective moral norms that are universally valid

Moral Conflicts

A tension in a fallen world between different norms. It is something that we did not foresee and it is beyond our control

Resolving Moral Conflicts

Non-conflicting Absolutism

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Conflicting Absolutism

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Hierarchicalism (Graded absolutism)

Non-conflicting Absolutism

If you really understood the context and the norms, there really is no true tension

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The norms of God will never conflict, you just simply misunderstood

Conflicting Absolutism

There really are true tensions between norms in a fallen world. You keep the higher norm and you are guilty of the lower norm

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You should seek forgiveness for the lower one

Hierarchicalism (Graded absolutism)

There are true tensions, you obey the higher norm, but you are exempt from the lower norm

Did Christ ever face a true moral tension?

If he did, it would not fit the non-conflicting absolutism

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It would also have a problem with conflicting absolutism (because then He would actually have sinned)

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Some say He never faced a true moral conflict

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Some say He knows everything so He would never have a problem with it

Wrap-Up of Moral Absolutism

We can order authority (there is a hierarchy of authority in the Bible)

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Sometimes we can examine the intent of a norm

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We should seek alternatives

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We should appreciate complexities in a fallen world

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The ultimate foundation of moral absolutism is God’s absolute character, not His norms (standards)