Premium Essay

Divine Command Theory: Justifying Moral Grounds

Submitted By
Words 443
Pages 2
The divine command theory is the belief that God commands individuals to do specific things because they are deemed right. Divine authority is not a convincing starting point for justifying moral claims. Firstly, we, as individuals cannot determine or deem God as morally superior compared to us. “Yet another troubling implication of the Moral Grounds version of Divine Command theory is this: if there are no objectively right standards to which God necessarily adheres in commanding what He does- if, that is, moral standards are simply a function of God’s naked will- then his commands become wholly arbitrary” [DE, p. 99]. As mentioned, if guidelines as to what God considers right are nonexistent, then his commands are unsupported and irritational. …show more content…
“Socrates. Tell me, then, what do you say that holy is? And the unholy? Euthyphro. All right, I’d say that holy is just what I’m doing now: prosecuting wrongdoers, whether in cases of murder or temple-robbery, or those guilty of any other such offense, be they one’s father or mother or anyone else whatever; and failing to prosecute is unholy.” [ET, p. 45]. The act of Euthyphro prosecuting his own father for murder may be an example of an act of holiness, although an example is not a definition. It is said that God can and will speak to individuals to assist them in making a decision or doing the right thing. Moreover, how can we be positive that we are correctly interpreting what God is saying, and not be what we are wanting him to

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Not an Essay

...AS Philosophy & Ethics Course Handbook 2013 to 2014 [pic] OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/type/gce/hss/rs/index.aspx OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) You are studying Philosophy of Religion and Religious Ethics and will be awarded an OCR AS Level in Religious Studies. The modules and their weightings are: |AS: |Unit Code |Unit Title |% of AS |(% of A Level) | | |G571 |AS Philosophy of Religion |50% |(25%) | | |G572 |AS Religious Ethics |50% |(25%) | If you decide to study for the full A Level you will have to study the following modules at A2: |A2: |Unit Code |Unit Title |(% of A Level) | | |G581 |A2 Philosophy of Religion |(25%) | | |G582 |A2 Religious Ethics |(25%) | Grading | ...

Words: 13036 - Pages: 53

Premium Essay

Power and Authority

... Rahul Kr. Dubey CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………..4 2. WHAT IS POWER?.......................................................................................................5 A. THE EMERGENCE OF POWER…………………………………………6 B. THE DIVISION OF POWER……………………………………………..9 3. WHAT IS AUTHORITY…...…………………………………………………………9 A. POLITICAL AUTHORITY……...………………………………………11 4. THE DEMOCRATIC CONCEPTION OF POLITICAL AUTHORITY………..….15 5. THE RELATIONSHIP AND DISTINCTION BETWEEN POWER AND AUTHORITY…………………...................................................................................20 6. WEBER’S ANALYSIS OF AUTHORITY…………………………………………22 7. THE CONSENT THEORY OF POLITICAL AUTHORITY.....................................23 8. THE ELITE THEORY………………………………………………………………24 9....

Words: 9038 - Pages: 37

Premium Essay

Q&a Jurisprudence

...R outledge Revision: Questions & Answers  Jurisprudence 2011–2012 Each Routledge Q&A contains approximately 50 questions on topics commonly found on exam papers, with answer plans and comprehensive suggested answers. Each book also offers valuable advice as to how to approach and tackle exam questions and how to focus your revision effectively. New Aim Higher and Common  Pitfalls boxes will also help you to identify how to go that little bit further in order to get the very best marks and highlight areas of confusion. And now there are further opportunities to hone and perfect your exam technique online. New editions publishing in 2011: Civil Liberties & Human Rights Commercial Law Company Law Constitutional & Administrative Law Contract Law Criminal Law Employment Law English Legal System Routledge Q&A series Equity & Trusts European Union Law Evidence Family Law Jurisprudence Land Law Medical Law Torts For a full listing, visit http://www.routledge.com/textbooks/revision R outledge Revision: Questions & Answers Jurisprudence 2011–2012 David Brooke Senior Lecturer in Law and Module Leader in Jurisprudence at Leeds Metropolitan University Fifth edition published 2011 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the U S A and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2011...

Words: 105136 - Pages: 421

Premium Essay

Social Issues

...“The Final Form of Kant’s Practical Philosophy,” Mark Timmons (ed.) Essays on Kant’s Moral Philosophy (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000). The Final Form of Kant’s Practical Philosophy Allen Wood Yale University By the year 1768, Kant claimed to be at work on a system of ethics, under the title “metaphysics of morals” (Ak 10:74).[1] During the so-called ‘silent decade’ of the 1770s, when Kant was working on the Critique of Pure Reason, he promised repeatedly not only that he would soon finish that work but also that he would soon publish a “metaphysics of morals” (Ak 10:97, 132, 144).[2] Yet it was not until four years after the first Critique that Kant finally wrote a work on ethics, and even then he merely laid the ground for a metaphysics of morals by identifying and establishing the supreme principle on which a system of duties would be based (G 4:392). Three years later, in the Critique of Practical Reason Kant once again dealt entirely with foundational questions in moral philosophy. Kantian ethics is primarily known, especially among English-speaking philosophers, through these two ethical works of the 1780s, neither of which contains anything like a ‘metaphysics of morals’. Many of Kant’s chief works in the early 1790s are devoted to practical philosophy. The Critique of Judgment’s treatment of taste and teleology is concerned both with moral psychology and with the view of the world which a morally disposed person should take. Other works even...

Words: 10308 - Pages: 42

Premium Essay

Ethics

...Metaethics Metaethics is a branch of analytic philosophy that explores the status, foundations, and scope of moral values, properties, and words. Whereas the fields of applied ethics and normative theoryfocus on what is moral, metaethics focuses on what morality itself is. Just as two people may disagree about the ethics of, for example, physician-assisted suicide, while nonetheless agreeing at the more abstract level of a general normative theory such as Utilitarianism, so too may people who disagree at the level of a general normative theory nonetheless agree about the fundamental existence and status of morality itself, or vice versa. In this way, metaethics may be thought of as a highly abstract way of thinking philosophically about morality. For this reason, metaethics is also occasionally referred to as “second-order” moral theorizing, to distinguish it from the “first-order” level of normative theory. Metaethical positions may be divided according to how they respond to questions such as the following: * Ÿ  What exactly are people doing when they use moral words such as “good” and “right”? * Ÿ  What precisely is a moral value in the first place, and are such values similar to other familiar sorts of entities, such as objects and properties? * Ÿ  Where do moral values come from—what is their source and foundation? * Ÿ  Are some things morally right or wrong for all people at all times, or does morality instead vary from person to person, context to context...

Words: 21310 - Pages: 86

Premium Essay

What Is Critical Junc

...3.2 God in the Critique of Pure Reason's Transcendental Dialectic 3.2.1 The Ens Realissimum The Transcendental Dialectic's “Ideal of Reason” contains the best known and most frequently anthologized components of Kant's philosophy of religion. In addition to its portrayal of the ens realissimum, one finds within it Kant's objections to the Ontological, Cosmological and Physico-theological (Design) arguments for God's existence. It is thus the text most central to the negative elements of Kant's philosophy of religion and is integral to the widely held view that Kant is deeply hostile to faith. The general aim of the Transcendental Dialectic is to expose reason's excesses, its drive to move beyond the limits of possible experience, and to bring all concepts into a systematic unity under an “unconditioned condition.” The Transcendental Dialectic begins with a critique of reason's illusions and errors within the sphere of Rational Psychology. It then moves on to a critique of cosmological metaphysics, and then to the “Ideal of Reason” where Kant turns to Rational Theology and its pursuit of religious knowledge. As Kant explains, underlying all the traditional proofs for God's existence is the concept of the ens realissimum, the most real being. Reason comes to the idea of this being through the principle that every individuated object is subject to the “principle of complete determination.” While the generality of concepts allow them to be less than fully determined (e.g...

Words: 13468 - Pages: 54

Free Essay

Essay on Forms

...starts with the following titles: “Purity and Maturity,” and “Perfect Love,” by J. A. Wood; “Possibilities of Grace,” by Asbury Lowrey; “Christian Purity,” by Bishop Foster. It is the sincere prayer of the publishers that these classics in abridged form will be the blessing to the readers of this generation that they were to the generation to which they were written originally. D. Shelby Corlett Editor, Herald of Holiness THE AUTHOR’S PREFACE (From the first edition, 1851) The author is painfully sensible that his production has many defects, but he believes that they are such as will not be injurious to the reader — blemishes rather than poisons. For these he asks your indulgence. Conscious of the sincerity of his motives, and hoping for the Divine benediction, he...

Words: 30530 - Pages: 123

Premium Essay

Philo

... Watch your character, they beconme your destiny.” ANONYMOUS Preliminary Notions: A. Etymological: The word ethics comes from the Greek word “ethos” ,meaning : custom, a habitual way of acting character, a meaning that the Latin terms “mos” , “moris” also connote. Among the Greeks , “ethics” meant what concerns human conduct/human action. B. Descriptive: Largely a concern of cultural anthropologists and sociologists. Its task is to describe how some person, members of a culture or society address all sorts of moral issues, what customs they have, and so, how they are accustomed to behave. C. Met-ethics: Concerns itself with the meanings of moral terms: like good and bad, right and wrong, duties and rights, etc. Hence the concern is with the understanding of the use of these terms, their logical forms and the objects to which they refer. Sometimes the concern of meta-ethicist is even more fundamental: What is the possibility of moral philosophy. D. Normative: Ethics is normative, not in the way that logic is, namely. With regard to the correctness of our thinking, but with regard to the goodness of our living, the right orientation of our existence. It is a practical science, not simply because it treats human action, but also because it aims at guiding this. Moralists are not content to describe human conduct: they intend to judge and rectify it. They propose rules and give warning, they provide counsels and issue precepts, so as to make clear to men the...

Words: 17119 - Pages: 69

Premium Essay

Homework

...United States of America To my grandparents Julian and Janina Budziszewski, long departed, not forgotten The mind of man is the product of live Law; it thinks by law, it dwells in the midst of law, it gathers from law its growth; with law, therefore, can it alone work to any result. —George MacDonald CONTENTS PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION A New Phase of an Old Tradition ix PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION Whom This Book Is For xix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xxiii INTRODUCTION The Moral Common Ground 3 I THE LOST WORLD Things We Can’t Not Know 1 2 What It Is That We Can’t Not Know 3 Could We Get By Knowing Less? II EXPLAINING THE LOST WORLD 4 The First and Second Witnesses 5 The Third and Fourth Witnesses 6 Some Objections vii 19 29 54 83 93 116 viii WHAT WE CAN’T NOT KNOW III HOW THE LOST WORLD WAS LOST 7 Denial 8 Eclipse 149 173 IV RECOVERING THE LOST WORLD 9 The Public Relations of Moral Wrong 10 The Public Relations of Moral Right 11 Possible Futures 199 214 230 APPENDIX 1 appendix 2 appendix 3 appendix 4 Notes Index APPENDICES Decalogue as a Summary of the Natural The Law The Noahide Commandments as a Summary of the Natural Law Isaiah, David, and Paul on the...

Words: 89540 - Pages: 359

Premium Essay

Politics, Theology

...academic and an active politician. It ranges widely across the disciplines of theology, political theory and philosophy and poses acute questions about the basic moral foundations of liberal societies. Lord Plant focuses on the role that religious belief can and ought to play in argument about public policy in a pluralistic society. He examines the potential political implications of Christian belief and the ways in which it may be deployed in political debate. The book is a contribution to the modern debate about the moral pluralism of western liberal societies, discussing the place of religious belief in the formation of policy and asking what sorts of issues in modern society might be the legitimate objects of a Christian social and political concern. Raymond Plant has written an important study of the relationship between religion and politics which will be of value to students, academics, politicians, church professionals, policy makers and all concerned with the moral fabric of contemporary life. r ay m on d pl an t is Professor of European Political Thought at the University of Southampton and a Member of the House of Lords. He was a Home affairs spokesperson for the Labour Party from 1992 to 1996, and Master of St Catherine's College, Oxford, from 1994 to 2000. Lord Plant's main publications are Social and Moral Theory in Casework (1970), Community and Ideology: An Essay in Applied Moral Philosophy (1974), Hegel (1974), Political Philosophy and Social Welfare (with H. Lesser and...

Words: 144283 - Pages: 578

Premium Essay

The Source of Hong Kong Law

...Chapter Title: 3 The Theory of Stare Decisis Book Title: The Sources of Hong Kong Law Book Author(s): Peter Wesley-Smith Published by: Hong Kong University Press, (October 1994) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2jc134 . Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. . Hong Kong University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Sources of Hong Kong Law. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 143.89.105.150 on Sat, 6 Dec 2014 22:30:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions The Theory of Stare Decisis GENERAL THEORY Introduction The essential idea behind stare decisis is that a judge is required - thus has no discretion to refuse - to follow certain previous decisions. This obligation arises when a prior case A yields a proposition of law in circumstances which are indistinguishable from those confronting the judge in case B, and by a formal rule the judge in case B stands in an inferior relationship to the court which decided case A....

Words: 19541 - Pages: 79

Premium Essay

Essay S on Gita

...book form. For the present edition, the text has been thoroughly checked against all previous editions and against the manuscripts of the revised Arya. CONTENTS FIRST SERIES I Our Demand and Need from the Gita II 3 12 20 29 39 47 57 68 81 94 105 114 124 The Divine Teacher III The Human Disciple IV The Core of the Teaching V Kurukshetra VI Man and the Battle of Life VII The Creed of the Aryan Fighter VIII Sankhya and Yoga IX Sankhya, Yoga and Vedanta X The Yoga of the Intelligent Will XI Works and Sacrifice XII The Significance of Sacrifice XIII The Lord of the Sacrifice CONTENTS XIV The Principle of Divine Works XV 134 145 158 168 177 188 200 212 224 234 247 The Possibility and Purpose of Avatarhood XVI The Process of Avatarhood XVII The Divine Birth and Divine Works XVIII The Divine Worker XIX Equality XX Equality and Knowledge XXI The Determinism of Nature XXII Beyond the Modes of Nature XXIII Nirvana and Works in the World XXIV The Gist of the Karmayoga SECOND SERIES Part I — The Synthesis of Works, Love and Knowledge I The Two Natures II 263 278 The Synthesis of Devotion and Knowledge CONTENTS III The Supreme Divine IV 289 301 311 322 337 355 366 The Secret of Secrets V The Divine Truth and Way VI Works, Devotion and Knowledge VII The Supreme Word of the Gita VIII God in Power of Becoming...

Words: 230457 - Pages: 922

Premium Essay

Beliefs in Society

...Beliefs in society: • Different theories of ideology, science and religion, including both Christian and non-Christian religious traditions. • The relationship between religious beliefs and social change and stability. • Religious organisations, including cults, sects, denominations, churches and New Age movements, and their relationship to religious and spiritual belief and practice. • The relationship between different social groups and religious/spiritual organisations and movements, beliefs and practices. • The significance of religion and religiosity in the contemporary world, including the nature and extent of secularisation in a global context.   1.      Religion serves to restore faith and the set basic guidelines for living that people should adhere to; an example of this is the Ten Commandments. 2.     It can help to restore faith and a sense of individuality. 3.     Maintains a sense of unity and creates hope with the promise of heaven. Explaining belief systems: Belief systems: are broadly defined as the framework of ideas through which an individual makes sense of the world. Ideology: originally a Marxist idea meaning a set of beliefs that serve the interests of a dominant group by justifying their privileged positions. The term usually implies that the beliefs are false or only partially true. Theories of ideology Ideology can be defined in a variety of ways -       As a set of political beliefs -       As the ideas and beliefs of a particular...

Words: 7958 - Pages: 32

Premium Essay

Essays on Bhagwat Gita

...as a book in 1922. The second series appeared in the Arya between August 1918 and July 1920. In 1928 Sri Aurobindo brought out an extensively revised edition in book form. For the present edition, the text has been thoroughly checked against all previous editions and against the manuscripts of the revised Arya. CONTENTS FIRST SERIES I Our Demand and Need from the Gita 3 II The Divine Teacher 12 III The Human Disciple 20 IV The Core of the Teaching 29 V Kurukshetra 39 VI Man and the Battle of Life 47 VII The Creed of the Aryan Fighter 57 VIII Sankhya and Yoga 68 IX Sankhya, Yoga and Vedanta 81 X The Yoga of the Intelligent Will 94 XI Works and Sacrifice 105 XII The Significance of Sacrifice 114 XIII The Lord of the Sacrifice 124 CONTENTS XIV The Principle of Divine Works 134 XV The Possibility and Purpose of Avatarhood 145 XVI The Process of Avatarhood 158 XVII The Divine Birth and Divine Works 168 XVIII The Divine Worker 177 XIX Equality 188 XX Equality and Knowledge 200 XXI The Determinism of Nature 212 XXII Beyond the Modes of Nature 224 XXIII Nirvana and Works in the World 234 XXIV The Gist of the Karmayoga 247 SECOND SERIES Part I — The Synthesis of Works, Love and Knowledge I The Two Natures...

Words: 230469 - Pages: 922

Premium Essay

Constitutional Law

...NONE, ONE OR SEVERAL? PERSPECTIVES ON THE UK’S CONSTITUTION(S) DAVID FELDMAN* An inaugural lecture is the occasion when the University of Cambridge can look its gift horse in the mouth, weighing the new professor in the balance against his or her distinguished predecessors. The Rouse Ball Professorship of English Law has been held in the past by a long series of distinguished scholars, from Sir Percy Winfield to my immediate predecessor, Sir Jack Beatson whom we are delighted to welcome back today. Their work has influenced generations of lawyers. They certainly influenced me. Before I encountered Criminal Law: The General Part,1 a great little volume by Professor Glanville Williams, Learning the Law, was my ‘Guide, Philosopher and Friend’ (as it still says on the cover of the latest edition, now edited by my colleague Professor Tony Smith)2 as I approached the study of law. Another Rouse Ball Professor, the late Sir William Wade, had a formative effect on my understanding of land law and administrative law both through his famous books, Megarry and Wade on the Law of Real Property (now edited by a former Fellow of Downing College, Dr. Charles Harpum)3 and Administrative Law (now in the hands of my colleague Dr. Christopher Forsyth),4 not to mention the lectures that I attended as an undergraduate in (softly be it said) the University of Oxford. Two wonderfully stimulating and enjoyable books by the Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor and * Rouse Ball Professor of English Law in...

Words: 10282 - Pages: 42