Analysis Of Divine Command Theory Philosophy Essay

Analysis Of Divine Command Theory Philosophy Essay Divine command theory is an ethical view based on theism or the belief that God exists. Followers of the theory accept that all moral judgment is derived from an understanding of Gods character or his direct commandments. In other words, what is in accordance with Gods command is moral and what is contrary to that command is immoral (Farnell, 2005). The holy books of each religion (e.g. The Bible, Koran, and Torah) contain Gods directions. Therefore, they can be used as guides to distinguish between morally good and bad actions. The idea that ethics and religion are connected is far-reaching, and it leads us to examine religions role in our society. Advantages Although divine command theory has been rejected as a working ethical theory, there are a few ways in which it does provide an advantage as an ethical framework. First, Gods commands set forth universal moral rules. The rules can be applied to anyone, at all times and places. The belief that God is eternal and never changes means that his commands are as relevant today as when they were first recorded. Second, Gods commands dont depend on what others think are right or wrong. His commands are completely objective. For example, one of Gods commandments is not to commit murder (Exodus 21:13). Even if your friends believe that murder is acceptable (for instance, capital punishment), they are still wrong because their beliefs oppose Gods will. Under this theory, morality exists outside of human reasoning because God is the ultimate authority. Third, if you disobey God, you will be punished. If you follow his commands, youll be rewarded. God is both omnipotent and omnipresent. If you choose to disobey, your punishment is inescapable. If you obey, God will bless you with eternal life and a place in heaven. Those who believe have a strong incentive to follow his commands. Finally, traditional religions are centuries old and have recorded many of Gods commands. Religious texts allow us to know and understand the character of God, and they make it easier to know how to act morally. For Christian believers, the Word of God is in The Bible and they are secure in the concrete, moral teachings written in its pages. Critiques There are several reasons why divine command theory falls short as a working ethical viewpoint. One objection focuses on the sheer number of world religions and their different interpretations of the nature of God (or their gods). How does a divine command theorist know that their Gods commands are the right ones to follow? It is impossible to prove that the insights of Allah overrule the laws of Yahweh. Even within Christianity, a schism has existed between Catholic and Protestant believers since The Reformation in 1517. Under divine command theory only one religion can be correct and the followers of that God are the only ones leading moral lives (Austin, 2006). This leads into the next objection. Gods commands can be easily misconstrued. That is, how do we determine the correct interpretation of the sacred texts? When God states that we should not commit murder, does that mean murder is always immoral, or should we take into account the specific context in which God gave this command? During this process of interpretation, we are actually exercising our own sense of morality. We must rely on our own understanding of Gods goodness and act on moral laws we deem consistent with Gods commands (Adams, 1999). We cannot take ourselves completely out of the picture when determining Gods position on ethical issues. Perhaps the most convincing argument against divine command theory is that it leaves open the idea that immoral acts might not be wrong. That means Gods commands are arbitrary in nature. Murray and Rea (2008) state that, the [divine command] process that determines what is moral or immoral does not actually involve moral considerations. If God omitted the command forbidding murder, then it would no longer be an immoral action. On the other hand, if God is restricted from commanding the murder of children or stealing from the poor, then the logic behind divine command theory falls apart. God is no longer the sole source for moral knowledge and some knowledge outside of God makes those acts immoral. Platos Euthyphro Platos classic dialogue Euthyphro will always be brought up in discussions about the relationship between God and ethics. The dialogue features a discussion of piety between Socrates and Euthyphro. Socrates is on trial for corrupting the youth of Athens by leading them away from their belief in gods. Euthyphro is prosecuting his own father for manslaughter in the death of a servant. About midway through the dialogue, Socrates asks his famous question: Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods? (Plato Church, 1987) This is the same as saying: Does God command an action because it is morally right, or is it a morally right action because God commands it? If the latter is true, then God can either command or refuse to speak against immoral acts and that will make them moral. In the Bible, God commanded his most devout follower, Abraham, to sacrifice his favorite son Isaac (Genesis 22:1-24). Abraham bound Isaac on a hilltop and was just about to commit filicide when an angel of the Lord came down to stop him. There is no doubt that Abraham would have murdered Isaac had God not intervened at the last second. Although there is a happy ending to this parable, the inferred message here is that God has the power to upend morality at any time. If God is the ultimate authority, then nothing should stop us from honoring his will not even our ethical boundaries. If the former is true, then morality has a source outside of God. Of course God will command what is morally right every time, because God is all-knowing. In fact, he already knows what is right or wrong before he even commands it. That means Gods commands are in line with an independent moral standard. Gods perfect nature restricts him from making immoral acts moral. Thus, right and wrong are not based on Gods will alone. This places God in the same situation that we are in. We also base our behavior on an ethical standard that we discover rather than invent. We have just made God irrelevant when it comes to moral authority. Faith vs. reason Faith in God seems diametrically opposed to reason and common sense. The main allure of religion is the intense passion that believers bring to their faith. Christianity is a powerful force in our society because it asks for the most suspension of disbelief in its followers. The commitment involved in maintaining that the Son of God was born a mortal man infused with the Holy Spirit is enormous. On the other hand, if faith fell directly in line with reason then it wouldnt inspire the passion it has throughout the ages. There are many who keep faith and reason as separate and distinct parts of their lives. St. Thomas Aquinas believed that reason alone is sufficient to understand between right and wrong (Clark Poortenga, 2003). He also believed that human reason was an expression of Gods will. If God did create us in his image, then our understanding of morality is an extension of that. God could have chosen to create us some other way, but ultimately, our human nature demands that we lead a good and moral life to be fulfilled. As an ethical construct, divine command theory fails under rigorous, philosophical critiques, but that doesnt mean ethical reasoning and faith cannot coexist. Those who believe in God can use reason to responsibly determine how best to conform their behavior to his commands.

How to Run a Good Meeting :: essays research papers

How to Run a Good Meeting Most people don’t like meetings. They say they are boring, go on too long, and don’t get anything done. And often that’s the truth. So to have a good meeting, you need to make it interesting, keep it on track, and make sure something gets done. Here are eight steps toward making your next meeting a success. 1. Make sure you need to have a meeting. Meetings are needed when a group of people must be involved in an action or a decision. Don’t schedule a meeting just because it’s time to have one. 2. Set a goal for the meeting. Be very clear about why you’re having the meeting, and what needs to get done or be decided. Break that task into steps, or divide the discussion into sections—that’s the agenda for your meeting. At the start of the meeting say, this is our goal, and if we can get this done, the meeting will be a success. At the end of the meeting remind them that you achieved your goal. This lets everyone leave feeling successful, and they’ll be glad to come to your next meeting. 3. Put decisions to the group. The participants own the meeting. Let them set the agenda before the meeting, or at least add to it when you begin. If decisions need to be made about the process (whether to end a discussion that’s going too long, for example) then ask that question to the group. 4. Stay on schedule. Remember that every minute a person spends in your meeting, they could be doing other things. They’re with you because they’ve decided your meeting is important, so treat them like their time is important. Start on time and end on time! 5. Pay attention to what’s important. Set a certain amount of time for each item on the agenda, based on how important it is. If the group starts spending a lot of time on details, ask them â€Å"Is this what we want to spend our time talking about?† A lot of details can be worked out by individuals or committees—meetings are for the decisions that need to involve the whole group. 6. Keep the meeting on track. Your agenda is the tool you use to make sure you’re on time and on the right topic. When side issues come up, help the group get back on track. If the issue sounds important, check with the group.

Eq Is Better Than Iq

EQ IS BETTER THAN IQ! Government points| Opposition’s rebuttals| Necessary social skills that a student needs are associated with high levels of EQ or emotional intelligence. If a student does not develop the EQ skills needed to successfully transverse the maturation process he or she will be left in a situation of having the intelligence to functionally work or play but not have the emotional skills to successfully work or play, thus limiting their potential future.They may have received good grades on tests in school classes but without a working high level of EQ they are unable to function as adult people in an adult world| A person's IQ, on the other hand, measures concepts like logical reasoning, word comprehension, and math skills rather than creative potential or emotional abilities. People with a  high IQ  may be able to learn certain subjects very quickly and make connections between ideas that others miss. It's correlation coefficient is . so in most cases the hi gher IQ someone has, or the higher their potential to learn is, the higher their emotional intelligence is. | IQ tests are used as an indicator of logical reasoning ability and technical intelligence. A high IQ is often a prerequisite for rising to the top ranks of business today. It is necessary, but it is not adequate to predict executive competence and corporate success. By itself, a high IQ does not guarantee that you will stand out and rise above everyone else.Research carried out by the Carnegie Institute of Technology shows that 85 percent of your financial success is due to skills in â€Å"human engineering,† your personality and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. Shockingly, only 15 percent is due to technical knowledge. Additionally, Nobel Prize winning Israeli-American psychologist, Daniel Kahneman, found that people would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don’t, even if the likeable person is offering a lower quality product or service at a higher price. What good does a  high IQ  do for you? The conclusion is: quite a lot. In our society intelligence is highly appreciated. If you have a high IQ, you have a better chance of being successful at school and professionally. | In 1995, psychologist Daniel Goleman released a book called â€Å"Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ. † Goleman tried to unravel how someone who graduates at the top of the class can spend years hoping for a promotion, whereas someone who barely cracked a book might be that class's top earner.He hypothesized that when it came to predicting success, standard intelligence mattered less than emotional intelligence. It's not what you know, but who you know — and how well you get along with them, to borrow an old adage. According to Goleman's research, a high IQ didn't help when it came to networking or collaborating, while those who could understand and regulate emotion could sail straight to the top of the corporate ladder. | | | | | | | | | |

Apple Music Is A Music Streaming Service By Apple Inc. Essay

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Apple stated at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference that the service would launch at the end of June 2015 and would be free for the first three months. After that, it would cost US$9.99 per month, close to the economic equilibrium point for the recording industry estimated by the Open Music Model. Users select music on a device, which then plays on the device via Internet streaming and may be saved to the device for offline access. The service also provides music recommendations based on user taste. While Apple Music s cost and music library are similar to other music streaming services, the service aims to distinguish itself withShow MoreRelatedApple, Inc., The Electronics And Beats Music1263 Words   |  6 PagesApple acquires Beats. Apple, Inc., the electronics giant, has acquired Beats Music and Beats Electronics, the headphones giant, for $3.2 billion. Apple has enough money to buy or build any company they want to from ground up. 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