What is the dilemma about God and morality that Socrates posed in Euthyphro?
Ethics involves a distinctive set of elements. These include the preeminence of reason, the univer- sal perspective, the principle of impartiality, and the dominance of moral norms.
Some people claim that morality depends on God, a view known as the divine command theory. Both theists and nontheists have raised doubts about this doctrine. The larger point is that doing ethics— using critical reasoning to examine the moral life— can be a useful and productive enterprise for believer and nonbeliever alike.
EXERCISES Review Questions
1. When can it be said that your moral beliefs are not really yours? (p. 3)
2. In what ways are we forced to do ethics? What is at stake in these deliberations? (pp. 3–4)
3. What is the unfortunate result of accepting moral beliefs without questioning them? (pp. 4–5)
4. Can our feelings be our sole guide to morality? Why or why not? (pp. 4–5)
5. What are some questions asked in normative ethics? (p. 5)
6. What is the difference between normative ethics and metaethics? (pp. 5–6)
7. What is the dilemma about God and morality that Socrates posed in Euthyphro? (p. 11)
8. What kinds of moral contradictions or incon – sistencies confront religious believers? (p. 9)
good” would mean only “God’s commands are com- manded by God,” an empty truism.3
In any case, it seems that through critical rea- soning we can indeed learn much about morality and the moral life. After all, there are complete moral systems (some of which are examined in this book) that are not based on religion, that con- tain genuine moral norms indistinguishable from those embraced by religion, and that are justified not by reference to religious precepts but by care- ful thinking and moral arguments. As the philoso- pher Jonathan Berg says, “Those who would refuse to recognize as adequately justified any moral beliefs not derived from knowledge of or about God, would have to refute the whole vast range of arguments put by Kant and all others who ever proposed a rational basis for ethics!”4 Moreover, if we can do ethics—if we can use critical reasoning to discern moral norms certified by the best rea- sons and evidence—then critical reasoning is suf – ficient to guide us to moral standards and values. Since we obviously can do ethics (as the follow- ing chapters demonstrate), morality is both acces- sible and meaningful to us whether we are religious or not.
SUMMARY
Ethics is the philosophical study of morality, and morality consists of beliefs concerning right and wrong, good and bad. These beliefs can include judg- ments, principles, and theories. Participating in the exploration of morality—that is, doing ethics—is inescapable. We all must make moral judgments, assess moral norms, judge people’s character, and question the soundness of our moral outlooks. A great deal is at stake when we do ethics, including countless decisions that determine the quality of our lives.