Philosophy, Morality, Society

What does the ‘Divine Command’ theory of morality attempt to explain? Present the main tenets of the ‘Divine Command’ theory and consider one or two objections to the theory. Evaluate the theory in light of these objections. Provide reasons to defend your evaluation.

We have been raised to believe specific actions to be wrong and right. As individuals we conduct ourselves to what we believe is socially and morally acceptable in society. However the establishment of acceptable moral conducts is often questioned and examined. In this essay I will attempt to first and foremost define morality, illustrate different perspectives of morality such as the ‘Divine Command’ theory and further pose two objections to this theory and how it challenges the theory.

So firstly, what is morality? Ones morality is concerned with how they distinguish what behaviour is right or wrong and what behaviour is good or bad. From the moment we are born our conscious allows us to do whatever we want. But through the course of our life we soon learn to realize that certain things are considered to be morally unacceptable and have consequences, which further develops our moral conscious. Our moral conscious takes into account the people around us, society at large, and how our behaviour is shaped in accordance to other people’s wants, needs and desires.

However ones morality can be questioned by questioning on where the authority of their morality comes from. On what grounds the objectivity of moral principles and values arose from? What is considered to be morally correct and who decides this? This is where the ‘Divine Command’ theory of morality comes into play.

A strong viewpoint to justify the truth of morality is religion. Religion is often portrayed as a source of the objectivity of morality through The ‘Divine Command’ theory of morality. The ‘Divine Command’ is a method to explain that what God ultimately wills, is what to be considered morally right. The authority of moral...