Divine command theory

Cards (13)

  • How good is defined
    Good is what is commanded by God and evil is what is forbidden by God
  • DCT is a non-naturalist theory, because it holds that the source of 'good' is not nature, but it is in a supernatural being
  • Religious legalism is an example of a theory that comes under the Divine command Theory, because religious legalism is a legalistic and fundamental viewpoint that rules given in the Bible are deontological and must not be broken.
  • Natural Moral Law is another example of a theory that comes under the umbrella of the Divine command theory. This is because the secondary precepts are precepts that have been formed by scripture
  • Weaknesses of the Divine command theory
    The Euthyphro dilemma - Are moral actions good because God commands them to be so, or does God command them because they are good actions? If morals come from an independent source, then God is not omnipotent as morality applies to God too. The possibility of moral judgement is removed completely if we say morality comes for God, it is only good because God says so, humans no longer have free-will to judge themselves
  • Weaknesses of the Divine command theory 

    Leibniz's paradox - If God wills a person to do the opposite of what God has already willed, this would be morally good. For example, in the Old Testament God supports war yet tells us 'Thou shalt not kill'
  • Weaknesses of the Divine command theory 

    Ineffability - God's character is unknowable, we are not omnipotent or omniscient so we cannot know the will of God. Aquinas - No-one cannot know the will of God
  • Weaknesses of the Divine command theory 

    Supervenience - Statements from the Bible that intended to convey facts or information are seen as being on a lower "level" than ethical commands. Pieces of information from the Bible such as 'Mankind is made in the image of God' is formed into statements such as 'Abortion is wrong'
  • Weaknesses of the Divine command theory 

    Situation Ethics - Rather then having strict rules it is better to follow the example of Jesus and use a flexible ethic to determine the morality
  • Strengths of the Divine command theory
    Easy to use as its deontological - actions are right and wrong and the circumstances don't need to be considered
  • Strengths of the Divine command theory 

    Lots of sources of authority to check behaviour - Bible, Church, tradition
  • Strengths of the Divine command theory 

    Many of the laws in DCT match secular laws anyway e.g. it is wrong to steal
  • Introductory paragraph for DCT
    Divine command theory is the belief that what is commanded by God is good, and what is forbidden by God is evil. The DCT of ethics argues that because God is source of all goodness, whatever God commands must be good. The DCT is a non-naturalist theory, because it holds the belief that the source of good isn't in nature at all, it is in supernatural being (God). An example of DCT is Natural moral law, because it relies on scripture and the Bible as a deontological rule book