principle of ethics (Divine Command )
Divine Command Theory
Required Reading: Divine Command Theory
Required Reading: Religion & Morality
Watch this introduction to Divine Command Theory
Watch this video and consider the Euthyphro Dilemma
https://youtu.be/aOR9LeTEFKA
In 500 words or more (no less), explain how one might use Divine Command Theory to follow a secular philosophy.
Solution Preview
The Divine Command Theory (DCT) mainly illustrates that actions, choices or behaviors that are considered good because God has commanded these actions as good, and the actions can be considered bad if God forbids them. This theory asserts that God determines what is moral, and for someone to be moral then they have to follow the commands. Both ancient and modern times have generally accepted the necessity of God’s command in establishments of morality (Hofreiter, 2018). The DCT continues to argue that it is the moral duty of people to avoid violation of this divine command even though violating of the command would give better outcomes (Evans, 2014). A good example to elaborate on this is taking a patient’s life to assuage the patient’s suffering from the terminal sickness. Violating such an act would be murder, and God forbids murder but still if the command is violated then the patient is assuaged from the terminal illness.
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