Barry's Blog

The Moral Argument

October 6, 2007

There are many different forms of the Moral Argument. I’ll include a number of them in this paper along with one we’ll study in detail.

The Formal Moral Argument

Moral arguments take the existence or nature of morality to imply the existence of God. The formal moral argument specifically takes the form of morality—its normativity and authority—as grounds for holding that it has a divine origin.

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Morality consists of a set of commands; it does not describe the way that the world is, but rather prescribes the way that the world ought to be; it tells us what to do. Morality is prescriptive. Just as carried things cannot exist without a carrier, and popular things cannot exist without admirers, so prescriptions cannot exist without a prescriber. If one has a set of commands, then there must be some commander that issued them. There must therefore be a commander of morality, a being that issued the commands that constitute morality.

Morality is Authoritative

This being, however, cannot have been a human being. For a command only carries as much authority as does its commander, but the authority of morality exceeds the authority of any human being. In fact, the commands that constitute morality carry ultimate authority; if morality prescribes that I perform one act, but prudence, or any other non-moral consideration, prescribes that I perform another, then all things considered I ought to perform the act prescribed by morality. Moral considerations, then, outweigh all other considerations. The authority that issued the commands that constitute morality must therefore be an ultimate authority. The only ultimate authority, however, is God. The existence of morality therefore depends on, and so demonstrates, the existence of God.

The Formal Moral Argument

1. Morality consists of a set of commands.
2. For every command there is a commander. Therefore:
3. There is a commander that commanded morality.
4. Commands only carry as much authority as does their commander.
5. Morality carries ultimate authority. Therefore:
6. The commander that commanded morality carries ultimate authority.
7. Only God carries ultimate authority. Therefore:
8. The commander that commanded morality is God. Therefore:
9. God exists.

(From http://www.philosophyofreligion.info/formalmoral.html)

In its most general form, the moral argument is that:

• Some aspect of Morality (eg its objective force) is observed.
• Belief in God provides a better explanation of this feature than various alternatives.
• Therefore, to the extent that (1) is accepted, belief in God is preferable to these alternatives.

Moral sanctions

Moral norms exist and have authority beyond the socially mediated. It is, for example, perfectly coherent for someone like Wilberforce to say "slavery may be approved of by society, but it is morally wrong". If they truly have such authority, there should be a rational argument why human beings should act in accordance with moral norms, over and above the reaction of society.

The existence of God, who is wholly just, observes everything relevant about human actions and can attach appropriate long-term sanctions to behavior provides such a rational argument, better than alternatives. Therefore, to the extent that (1), (2) and (3) are accepted, belief in God is more reasonable than alternative worldviews that do not offer such explanations.

Transcendentality of morality

• Moral facts exist.
• Moral facts are transcendental in nature.
• The best explanation of there being transcendental moral facts is provided by theism.
• Therefore the existence of moral facts provides good grounds for thinking theism is true.

Moral order (Kant)

• The summum bonum (Latin for the “highest good”) is where moral virtue and happiness coincide.
• We are rationally obliged to attain the summum bonum.
• What we are obliged to attain, it must be possible for us to attain.
• If there is no god or afterlife, it is not possible to attain the summum bonum.
• God (or the afterlife) must exist.

(From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_morality)

“Argument From A Universal Moral Law”

1. All Men Experience A Sense Of Moral Obligation
2. There Exists A Universal Moral Law (UML)
   1. Everyone is conscious of this UML
   2. Now, we all make moral judgments - whether private or public. And, we couldn’t make meaningful criticisms without recognition of some law or rule.
   3. So, there must be a moral standard (a moral plumb line). Point - there must be a UML
3. Where Did It Come From?
   1. Not nature, not me, not society
   2. Must have come from an intelligent moral commander outside of this world, higher than this world
   - basic outline by Dick Sztanyo