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Ethical Thought and Deontology (Component 3)
Quick questions on Divine command theory - Eduqas A-Level Religious Studies Component 3
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
what is holy (good) loved by the gods because it is holy, or holy because it is loved by the gods?Show answer
Applied to monotheism: - Horn (a) - good because God commands it: then morality is arbitrary. If God commanded cruelty, cruelty would be good; and "God is good" collapses into "God does whatever God wills", saying nothing. - Horn (b) - God commands it because it is good: then goodness is independent of God; there is a standard above God that God merely recognises, so God is not the source of morality.
What is the Euthyphro dilemma?Show answer
The dilemma is a fork: either morality is arbitrary, or God is not its foundation.
What is modified divine command theory?Show answer
So morality is neither arbitrary nor independent of God: God commands in accordance with who God is. Whether this truly dissolves the dilemma or merely relocates it (why is God's nature good?) is the heart of the evaluation.
What is q1?Show answer
Explain modified divine command theory. [part (a), AO1, 20 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
"If God is the source of morality, then morality is arbitrary." Evaluate this view. [part (b), AO2, 30 marks]
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