Overview

Divine Command Theory (DCT) is a meta-ethical theory which proposes that an action’s status as morally good or bad is equivalent to whether it is commanded or forbidden by God.

Core Idea

The core idea is that morality is ultimately based on the will of God. Without God, there would be no objective moral duties.

Formal Definition

DCT holds that “X is obligatory” is identical in meaning or truth conditions to “God commands X.”

Intuition

  • The Parent: Just as a child must obey their parent because the parent is the authority, humans must obey God.
  • The Source: If God created the universe, He also created the rules for how to live in it.

Examples

  • The Ten Commandments: “Thou shall not kill” is wrong because God said so.
  • Abraham and Isaac: In the Bible, God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son. Under DCT, this act would be morally right simply because God commanded it (even if it seems horrific to human reason).

Common Misconceptions

  • Misconception: Atheists can’t be moral.
    • Correction: DCT says atheists can act morally (by coincidence or conscience), but they cannot explain the objective basis of that morality without God.
  • Misconception: God’s commands are arbitrary.
    • Correction: Many defenders say God commands things because of His perfectly good nature, so He wouldn’t command cruelty.
  • Euthyphro Dilemma: (See below).
  • Natural Law: The view that God’s law is written into the fabric of nature and reason, not just arbitrary commands.
  • Theonomy: The idea that society should be governed by divine law.

Applications

  • Religious Ethics: The foundation for Jewish, Christian, and Islamic ethics.
  • conscientious Objection: Refusing to follow human laws that conflict with divine commands.

Criticism and Limitations

  • The Euthyphro Dilemma: Socrates asked: “Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?”
    • If the former: Morality exists independently of God (God just recognizes it).
    • If the latter: Morality is arbitrary (God could command murder, and it would be “good”).
  • Pluralism: Which God? Which commands? Different religions disagree.

Further Reading

  • Euthyphro by Plato
  • Finite and Infinite Goods by Robert Adams (A modern defense)
  • Fear and Trembling by Søren Kierkegaard