Divine Command Theory
(DCT)
Ethical and Moral principles are simply the commands of God.
X is right because God said so. No other reason.
Positives: It God a sovereignty o power. God has an authority of right and wrong
Negatives: If what is god or moral is what GOD commands, It seems morality becomes arbitrary. If GOD commaned us to boil babies alive, then thats what will be moral. So we basically need indepenent studies of morality.
The Euthyphro Problem (Is it good because God commands it, or does God command it because it’s good?)
This comes from Plato’s dialogue Euthyphro.
Problem:
If something is good just because God commands it → morality seems arbitrary. God could command anything, even something we think is clearly wrong, and it would be “morally right.”
If God commands it because it’s already good → then goodness exists independently of God, which undermines DCT.
Autonomy Thesis
Morality exists independently of God’s will — actions are right or wrong based on reason, human nature, or objective moral facts, not just because God commands them.
Euthyphro Problem Connection
- The second horn of the Euthyphro dilemma (“God commands it because it’s good”) is basically the Autonomy Thesis. It doesnt originate with God.
2.Rightness and wrongness is not simply based on GOD’S will
3.It says morality is autonomous (self-governing) and doesn’t depend on divine authority.
Euthyphro problem
Is something good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is good?
Euthyphro problem and why it matters
Why it matters
This creates a dilemma for Divine Command Theory (DCT):
Option A: Things are good because God commands them.
Morality is entirely based on God’s will.
Problem: This makes morality seem arbitrary. For example, if God commanded cruelty, then cruelty would be “good.”
Option B: God commands things because they are good.
This means there is a standard of “goodness” outside of God that God recognizes.
Problem: This seems to undermine God’s sovereignty, since morality would exist independently of God.
Why it’s important
The dilemma challenges whether morality can really be grounded in God’s commands without either making morality arbitrary or putting limits on God.
Philosophers and theologians have wrestled with it for centuries.
Some responses
Modified DCT: Some argue that goodness is rooted in God’s nature (which is unchangingly good), not just His commands. So, God isn’t arbitrary, but morality doesn’t exist apart from Him either.
Non-theistic ethics: Others take the Euthyphro problem as evidence that morality must exist independently of God.
⚡ In short: The Euthyphro problem is a challenge to divine command theory that asks whether morality is arbitrary or independent of God.
Ethical Egoism
Psychological Egoism
I morally ought to perform some action, if and only if performing that action maximizes my self interest.
A claim or fact that advancing ones self interest is the underlying motivation for all human action.
Ethical Egoism Attractions and Weaknesses
Attractions
1. Encourages individual flourishing which can have the effect of better community well being(spending time on my heath may encourage people to do the same).
2. Promotes Individual Happiness
3. Resolves conflict between self interest and moral duties, since what is morally obligatory of you is to do what is in your best interest.(Lets saay they say its universally morally wrong to eat ice cream. with ethical egoism, it doesnt concern you and you can do it
Weaknesses
1.How much the ethical egoist differs in content of what is morally right or wrong to other ethical theories and common sense morality.
2. Arbitrarily makes your interest matter more(Racism or Sexism)
3.No way of resolving conflict between two people. If theres an apple, its in my self interest to get it and its in yours to get it
4.May misrepresent motivation for being moral
How Ethical Egoism differ content wise
Cooperation argument goes against this.
P1. Each person needs the cooperaton of others to obtain goods such as dedfense or friendship
P2. If I ac as if I give no weight to others , others will not cooperate with me
P3. IF, say, I break my promises whenever it is in my direct self interest to do so, others will not accept my promises and may even attack me.
Therefore I do best by acting as if others have weight (provided they act as if I have weight in return). But this argument is conditional in a way other ethical theories are not condiinoal. For example in other ethical theories, I dont escape the duty to save drowning person because that person may not be of help to me in the future
Also cooperatin doesnt justify more sacrificial acts, like a war hero jumping on a bomb to save the whole crew. This also shows diferrences with main ethical theories or common sense morality.
