What are the premises in the arbitrariness argument against the divine command theory?
If God commanded an action, the command would be without reason and neither the believer nor the non-believer would think this state of affairs plausible.
What are the problems with the divine command theory?
Thus, divine command theory gives us
reason to worry that God’s commands are arbitrary as universal moral standards of action
. They may or may not be benevolent, loving, or have any other property we consider morally praiseworthy, and they may in fact be cruel and harsh. Divine command theory makes no guarantees.
What are some arguments against the divine command theory?
An argument often used against divine command theory is
the problem of abhorrent acts
. Divine command supports the possibility of God being able to command abhorrent acts if He so chooses, which would mean (for example) that murder, rape, and genocide would be morally acceptable.
What is one objection to the divine command theory?
Of the many objections to this theory, the four main ones are that
it makes morality arbitrary, that it cannot work in a pluralistic society, that it makes morality infantile, and that it is viciously circular
.
What is the arbitrariness problem?
Arbitrariness is the
quality of being “determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle
“. It is also used to refer to a choice made without any specific criterion or restraint. Arbitrary decisions are not necessarily the same as random decisions.
Is divine command theory true?
If God created human beings, then God has an absolute claim on our obedience. … If God has an absolute claim on our obedience, then we should always obey God’s commands. 4. Therefore,
the Divine Command theory is true
.
What is the divine perfection argument?
What is the divine perfection argument? 1. If the Divine command theory is true,
then a morally perfect God could have created a perfect world that required us to rape, steal, and kill
. … A morally perfect God couldn’t issue such commands and anyone who did so would be morally imperfect.
What is Contractarianism theory?
The moral theory of contractarianism
claims that moral norms derive their normative force from the idea of contract or mutual agreement
. … Thus, individuals are not taken to be motivated by self-interest but rather by a commitment to publicly justify the standards of morality to which each will be held.
What is the Euthyphro objection?
The Euthyphro objection is often perceived, rightly or wrongly, as
the king objection to theistic meta-ethics
. This paper proposes a response that hasn’t been much explored within the contemporary literature, based on the metaphysics of dispositions and natural law theory.
What is divine nature theory?
The Divine Nature Theory concisely argues
that the nature of God is what is morally good
. … However, because God has made His nature known through the Bible and nature, people could know what is morally good. Therefore, His revelations teach what is morally good.
What is Divine Command Theory essay?
The Divine command theory is
a meta – ethical theory which states that an action is obligatory if and only if, it is commanded by God
. In this essay, I will examine whether any form of divine command theory is defensible. … This suggests that no action can be held as being morally good unless God commands it.
What is an example of arbitrariness?
Arbitrary is defined as something that is determined by judgment or whim and not for any specific reason or rule. An example of an arbitrary decision would be
a decision to go to the beach
, just because you feel like it. … Young children and their arbitrary rules for games.
What does mean arbitrariness?
1a :
existing or coming about seemingly at random or by chance
or as a capricious and unreasonable act of will an arbitrary choice When a task is not seen in a meaningful context it is experienced as being arbitrary.—
What is reason and impartiality?
Impartiality (also called evenhandedness or fair-mindedness) is
a principle of justice holding that decisions should be based on objective criteria
, rather than on the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring the benefit to one person over another for improper reasons.
What is Emotivism theory?
Emotivism, In metaethics (see ethics),
the view that moral judgments do not function as statements of fact but rather as expressions of the speaker’s or writer’s feelings
.
Who proposed divine command theory?
American philosopher Robert Merrihew Adams
proposes what he calls a “modified divine command theory”. Adams presents the basic form of his theory by asserting that two statements are equivalent: It is wrong to do X. It is contrary to God’s commands to do X.
