Magistrates of Morality How the Euthyphro Dilemma...

Throughout human history, the topic of theology has been a central aspect of everyday life. A common denominator of all modern-day religions is that they provide a set of rules which one is to follow in order to live as a good, moral being. When a deity (or a group of deities) commands followers to abide by specific moral standards though a vehicle such as prophets, religious texts or otherwise, this is called Divine Command Theory (DCT). Those who accept this theory believe that moral action coincides with what has been ordered by the deities, and immoral action would occur when one deviates from these orders. Despite this theory remaining relevant into the twenty-first century, it has still yet to solve one age-old dilemma. The Euthyphro†¦show more content†¦In layman’s terms, this passage, which has come to be known as the Euthyphro Argument, can be interpreted as asking, â€Å"is an action right because the gods command it, or do the gods command it because it is right?† (Week 9, Lecture 1, Slide 10). For the purposes of this essay, I will refer to the first half of this simplified query as proposition A, and the second as proposition B. The Euthyphro Argument is mystifying because there is no simple answer. It must be that either an action is good because the gods command it, or that they command an action because it is good. The answer has to be one or the other, not both nor neither. As you will see throughout this essay, coming to a precise conclusion on which horn holds true is not feasible. However, this quandary has posed catastrophic problems for all subscribers to DCT, and has opened the door to deep philosophical inquiry on the matter. To begin this examination into the strength of the Euthyphro Argument, let us first ponder the best objection a Divine Command theorist could make to proposition A. Proposition A asks if an action is right because God commands it. A Divine Command theorist would argue that moral actions are in deed divinely established, so an action can only be considered moral if it adheres to the commandments of the deities. They would also note that an action which strays from