| What is DCT? | Divine command theory is a type of ethics that defines morality by the view of goodness derived from God through the bible |
| What is God? | God is the origin and regulator of morality |
| What is the first part to DCT? | God is all powerful and has total freedom to do whatever he wishes |
| What is the second part to DCT? | God chooses not to act unfairly, because that would be inconsistent with his nature |
| What is the third part to DCT? | Therefore God orders the universe by his Divine law |
| What is the fourth part to DCT? | Humans, being powerless should obey God's law |
| What is moral goodness achieved by? | complying with the divine command from God |
| Where does God's will come from? | It comes from him as he is the origin |
| What then makes something good? | Because God commanded it |
| What type of approach to ethics is DCT? | a deontological approach to ethics |
| Examples of laws in the Bible? | Deut 22:11, Lev 19:28, Lev 19:16 |
| Deut 22:11 | "Do not wear clothes of wool and linen" |
| Lev 19:26 | "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourself" |
| Lev 19:16 | "Do not go about spreading slander among your people" |
| What are the three challenges to DCT? | Euthyphro's dilemma, arbitrariness and pluralism |
| What is Euthyphro’s dilemma? | It asks the question of whether goodness and morality derives from God or whether God command what is moral because it is good |
| What challenges do Euthrypro's dilemma bring? | If goodness derives from God, we have the problem of arbitrariness as our standard of good can change at the whim of God. If morals are good and God commands them, then God is no longer omni benevolent |
| How does William of Ockham try to solve Euthyphro's dilemma? | Whatever God wills is morally right and God has the power to make evil good. God limits himself, but that then doesn’t make him omnipotent |
| How does Robert Adam try to solve Euthyphro's dilemma? | God would not will anything against his will. He will do things in line with his omnibenevolence |
| What is arbitrariness? | The idea that God can change his mind on what is good at any time and has done so in the past. |
| Examples of arbitrariness? | God telling Abraham to kill his own son |
| What is pluralism? | With so many different religions serving different Gods or similar Gods, how do we know which one is correct? |
| Examples of pluralism? | Jews try to follow the rules about not wearing mixed fabrics whereas Christians believe these rules don't matter anymore. |
| Benefits of DCT include? | Easy guide to follow, straightforward |
| What does Robert Adams offer instead? | Modified DCT |
| What is the key premise of modified DCT | "Any action is ethically wrong if and only if it is contrary to the commands of a loving God" |
