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Society & Culture:Philosophy
Divine Command Theory; Good because God wills it or God wills it because it is good?
Hi Ethicists and Philosophers of Religion:
The Divine Command Theory (DCT) is a theory of what makes something right or wrong. It flips the typical order of morality: Morality leads God, to; God leads morality. Is morality above God, or God's game? This creates powerful questions about what it means to say God is Good. Is "good" the idea "we're on the winning team" on standard theism, or is "we are on the winning team" because, and for the first reason, God wills only the Good; the morally correct? Is God under the control of a moral theory, like Utilitarianism: x is moral if and only if x produces the best consequences (best can mean least worse) as our Jewish Rape in the City law suggests, or can God decide, like the arbitrary rules of any game, as ultimate creator, that we should play Utilitarianism? Or whatever else? As the rules shift? So the moral theory is just rules to the game, not the guide to the morally perfect rule maker (God)? Can God send you to Hell for being a good Catholic, Christian or Moslem?
Divine Command Theory (DCT):
Duns Scotus,
Wrong is just the fact God prohibits it or it contradicts what God wills
Right is just the fact God wills it
Verses:
St. Augustine,
God wills it because it is morally right.
We fist find this dilemma in Plato/Socrates' Euthyphro or ("Euthyfro" not the standard spelling).
http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/euthyfro.html
Here is one translation. Please read it. It's a blast.
Note: Often "moral" or "good" is translated as "pious". Don't let this throw you off the point: We are talking about morality.
Cheers,
Dr. Lee Basham
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