2.4 The Moral Argument

The moral argument for God's existence aims to prove a divine being through objective moral truths. It asserts that without God, morality would be subjective or evolutionary. This argument connects ethics to metaphysics, sparking debates about the nature of goodness and moral obligations.

Critics challenge the God-morality link, proposing secular alternatives like evolutionary ethics or social contract theory. The argument's strength lies in explaining universal moral intuitions, while its limitations include philosophical assumptions and the Euthyphro dilemma. It remains a contentious topic in religious philosophy.

Moral Argument for God's Existence

Key Premises and Structure

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• Moral argument attempts to prove God's existence based on objective moral truths
• Deductive argument structure includes premises about objective moral values and duties
• Common formulation contains three key premises:
  1. Objective moral values and duties do not exist without God
  2. Objective moral values and duties exist
  3. Therefore, God exists
• Relies on moral realism asserting moral facts exist independently of individual or cultural beliefs
• Proponents (William Lane Craig) argue morality would be subjective or evolutionary without God
• Critics challenge the connection between morality and God's existence
• Conclusion suggests God provides the best explanation for objective moral values and duties

Philosophical Foundations and Critiques

• Argument posits necessary connection between God's existence and objective morality
• Divine command theory justifies this connection stating moral actions align with God's will
• Philosophers debate objectivity of morality without a divine lawgiver
• Euthyphro dilemma challenges God-morality connection questioning causality of goodness
• Moral platonism proposes moral truths as abstract objects independent of God
• Argument from moral normativity contends prescriptive nature of morality requires a personal source (God)
• Critics propose evolutionary ethics or social contract theory as alternatives to explain moral norms

Morality and God's Existence

Theistic Perspectives

• God serves as ontological ground for moral values and duties in the universe
• Divine nature provides unchanging standard for objective morality
• Theists argue personal God necessary for prescriptive moral obligations
• God's existence explains universal moral intuitions across cultures
• Divine command theory links moral goodness to God's will or nature
• Moral argument supports coherence between religious beliefs and ethical frameworks
• Examples of theistic moral foundations include Christian ethics and Islamic moral theology

Secular Alternatives

• Secular ethical frameworks propose objective moral standards without divine influence
• Evolutionary ethics explains development of moral norms through natural selection (altruism)
• Social contract theory bases morality on mutual agreements for societal benefit
• Moral naturalism grounds ethical truths in observable facts about the world and human wellbeing
• Kantian ethics emphasizes rationality and universalizability as bases for moral duties
• Utilitarianism provides objective moral framework based on maximizing overall happiness
• Moral relativism challenges premise of universal objective values across cultures

Strengths and Limitations of the Moral Argument

Strengths and Supporting Perspectives

• Provides coherent explanation for origin and nature of objective moral values
• Appeals to common moral intuitions and widespread belief in objective right and wrong
• Aligns with theistic worldviews and religious ethical teachings
• Offers foundation for moral realism and objective moral facts
• Supports connection between metaphysics and ethics
• Resonates with human experiences of moral obligation and conscience
• Examples of moral absolutes (prohibitions against torture, child abuse) bolster argument

Limitations and Critiques

• Depends on contested philosophical assumptions about morality and divine foundation
• May commit is-ought fallacy by deriving moral obligations from God's existence
• Challenged by moral philosophy traditions not requiring supernatural grounding (virtue ethics)
• Euthyphro dilemma poses logical problem for divine command theory
• Evolutionary explanations for morality offer naturalistic alternatives
• Difficulty in empirically verifying connection between God and objective morality
• Problem of evil challenges notion of morally perfect divine being