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Divine command theory (also known as theological voluntarism) [1] [2] is a meta-ethical theory which proposes that an action's status as morally good is equivalent to whether it is commanded by God. The theory asserts that what is moral is determined by God's commands and that for a person to be moral he is to follow God's commands.
Divine command theory Robert Merrihew Adams FBA (September 8, 1937 – April 16, 2024) was an American analytic philosopher . He specialized in metaphysics , philosophy of religion , ethics , and the history of early modern philosophy .
His theory that hierophanies form the basis of religion, splitting the human experience of reality into sacred and profane space and time, has proved influential. [2] One of his most instrumental contributions to religious studies was his theory of eternal return , which holds that myths and rituals do not simply commemorate hierophanies, but ...
Augustine offered the Divine command theory, a theory which proposes that an action's status as morally good is equivalent to whether it is commanded by God. [16] [17] Augustine's theory began by casting ethics as the pursuit of the supreme good, which delivers human happiness, Augustine argued that to achieve this happiness, humans must love objects that are worthy of human love in the ...
[80] Divine command theory is thus guilty of deducing moral oughts from ordinary ises about God's commands. [81] In a similar vein, G. E. Moore argued (with his open question argument) that the notion good is indefinable, and any attempts to analyze it in naturalistic or metaphysical terms are guilty of the so-called "naturalistic fallacy."
The divine command theory is a metaethical theory which claims moral values are whatever is commanded by a god or gods. However, Kierkegaard is not arguing that morality is created by God; instead, he would argue that a divine command from God transcends ethics. This distinction means that God does not necessarily create human morality: it is ...
Divine command theory) Because of Divine omnipotence, there are no "natural laws" (of things like thermodynamics or gravity), because such laws would put limitations on His actions. There are, however, Divine "customs", whereby "certain so-called 'effects ' " usually follow certain "causes" in the natural world.
An early meditation on the divine command theory by Plato can be found in his dialogue, Euthyphro. Called the Euthyphro dilemma, it goes as follows: "Is what is morally good commanded by the gods because it is morally good, or is it morally good because it is commanded by the gods?" The implication is that if the latter is true, then justice is ...