PHIL 001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Divine Command Theory, Moral Relativism, Moral Universalism
14 May 2018
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Week 6B – Utilitarianism
PHILOSOPHY – MAY 10, 2018
Outline
- How to avoid Relativism?
- What Next?
- Utilitarianism (U)
- Utilitarianism – Pros
- Utilitarianism – Cons
- Assessing Utilitarianism
Clicker Question
- Let’s imagine that you belong to a different culture than Luca
- According to Luca’s culture, it is morally permissible to grade randomly
What is your reaction?
1. I am a cultural moral relativist and I can criticize Luca
2. I am a cultural moral relativist and I cannot criticize Luca
3. I am a cultural moral universalist and I can criticize Luca
4. Hmm… I am inclined to accept cultural moral relativism but I would also like to critize Luca, so I need
to give more thought to this
5. I approve of random grading
The wrong answer
1. I am a cultural moral relativist and I can criticize Luca
All others are acceptable responses
Given the troubles of Subjectivism and CMR
Let’s try: moral universalism (aka objective/absolutism)
- There are universal moral standards
Which are not established by an individual or a culture
A normative not a descriptive account
Individuals and societies might have different actual moralities but they are actually mistaken to the extent they
depart from universal standards.
How to get a universalist theory?
Let’s have a single source of moral norms
If so, it seems that we cannot do better than GOD!
Divine Command Theory
What is moral, what is commanded by God(s)
God is the moral guide and ultimate moral authority
(“If God is dead, everything is permitted”)
Notice
1. This is universalist under the assumption of unique true God(s)
2. It does not depend on the idea of the Omni-God
Pros of Divine Command theory
Unlike relativism
1. Universalism
2. It allows for fallibility, disagreement, criticism, and moral progress…
Which are measured by comparison to the only moral standards: God’s commands
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Week 6B – Utilitarianism
PHILOSOPHY – MAY 10, 2018
Clicker Question
Which of these to options do you think is correct according to Divine Command Theory?
a. Actions are morally good because God commands them
b. God commands actions because they are morally good
Correct Answer
There is no right answer, this is a dilemma for Divine Command Theory
According to the theory, one of the options must be true but neither appears satisfactory
First Option
‘from God to Good’
Actions are morally good because God commands them
1. God makes actions morally good
2. Nothing has moral quality independently and prior to God’s judgment or decree
Problem
Morality is arbitrary
- God could have commanded differently, even the opposite
- He could change his mind at any time
- There are no independent grounds or reasons for God’s decree
God is infallible just because God is the ultimate arbitrary authority
If you are bothered by this arbitrariness, then …
Second Option
‘From Good to God’
God commands certain actions as moral because they are morally good
Morality is not arbitrary – there is a standard … the Good
- God might be perfect at detecting what is moral, but God does not make it moral
Problem
If Good only detects what is moral
- Morality is ultimately independent of God
We do not need God for morality!
- At most, God is just the ultimate moral expert
Conclusion on Divine Command Theory
Unless you are willing to accept the absolute arbitrariness of God’s will you do not need to give us morality
(even if God exists)
Where should the Universalist go now?
Could we just look at the Good or the Right?
Well, philosophers are not sure whether there is such a thing to look at!
Even so, it might not be immediately apparent what it would tell us to do
Back to Drawing Board
The accounts considered more recently (subjectivism, CMR, Divine Command Theory all focus on the source
of moral standards but tell us nothing substantive about the norms.
Let’s start from what rather than whence
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Let"s imagine that you belong to a different culture than luca. According to luca"s culture, it is morally permissible to grade randomly. The wrong answer: i am a cultural moral relativist and i can criticize luca. Which are not established by an individual or a culture. Individuals and societies might have different actual moralities but they are actually mistaken to the extent they depart from universal standards. Let"s have a single source of moral norms. If so, it seems that we cannot do better than god! What is moral, what is commanded by god(s) God is the moral guide and ultimate moral authority ( if god is dead, everything is permitted ) Notice: this is universalist under the assumption of unique true god(s, it does not depend on the idea of the omni-god. Unlike relativism: universalism, it allows for fallibility, disagreement, criticism, and moral progress . Which are measured by comparison to the only moral standards: god"s commands.
