Phil 347 Test 2 Exam Questions and Answers
Religion and Morality - -Religion and Morality
-Question 1 - -Can there be an objective morality if there is no God?
-Answer- Yes - -Plato(Dialogue) and Kant
-Plato's Euthyphro Dilemma - -Is the good good because God has willed it or has God
willed it because it is good?
-Option 1 to the E dilemma and what does it imply? - -An action is good because God has
willed it. Therefore good would then become contingent and not necessary. Hence what is
good could become evil or visa versa.
-Option 2 to the E dilemma and what does it imply? - -An action is good because it is
intrinsically good and that is becuase God wills it. Hence God would not be the source of all
goodness. The good would be independent of God. Hence the good becomes independent.
-Aquinas Solution: - -This is a flase dilemma which is when the two horns do not exhaust
all possibilities to the dilemma. He is implying there is a third option
-Aquinas 3rd option - -Given you accept divine simplicity, it follows that God is strictly
identical to goodness. But the Euthypro dilemma presupposes that God is not identical to
goodness. Aquinas says neither of these within the dilemma, god is the good.
-Question 2 - -Do humans need to believe in God in order to live normal lives?
-Question 3 - -Does belief in God corrupt the moral life? (or Christian belief or any at that
matter)
-Religion and Arguments - -Religion and arguments
-John Locke - -Essay (1690) - Classical Foundatialism
-Classical Foundationalism - -A belief is rational given three conditions
1) It is self evident
Or
2) It is evident to the senses
Or
3) it can be deduced by what is self evident or evident to the senses.
-Plantigas Objection 1 to Classical Foundationalism - -CF is self referentially incoherent-
Hence by its own standards CF comes out as irrational.
Religion and Morality - -Religion and Morality
-Question 1 - -Can there be an objective morality if there is no God?
-Answer- Yes - -Plato(Dialogue) and Kant
-Plato's Euthyphro Dilemma - -Is the good good because God has willed it or has God
willed it because it is good?
-Option 1 to the E dilemma and what does it imply? - -An action is good because God has
willed it. Therefore good would then become contingent and not necessary. Hence what is
good could become evil or visa versa.
-Option 2 to the E dilemma and what does it imply? - -An action is good because it is
intrinsically good and that is becuase God wills it. Hence God would not be the source of all
goodness. The good would be independent of God. Hence the good becomes independent.
-Aquinas Solution: - -This is a flase dilemma which is when the two horns do not exhaust
all possibilities to the dilemma. He is implying there is a third option
-Aquinas 3rd option - -Given you accept divine simplicity, it follows that God is strictly
identical to goodness. But the Euthypro dilemma presupposes that God is not identical to
goodness. Aquinas says neither of these within the dilemma, god is the good.
-Question 2 - -Do humans need to believe in God in order to live normal lives?
-Question 3 - -Does belief in God corrupt the moral life? (or Christian belief or any at that
matter)
-Religion and Arguments - -Religion and arguments
-John Locke - -Essay (1690) - Classical Foundatialism
-Classical Foundationalism - -A belief is rational given three conditions
1) It is self evident
Or
2) It is evident to the senses
Or
3) it can be deduced by what is self evident or evident to the senses.
-Plantigas Objection 1 to Classical Foundationalism - -CF is self referentially incoherent-
Hence by its own standards CF comes out as irrational.
