Class notes
Study Guide for Ethical Theories
- Course
- Introduction to Ethics
- Institution
- Dawson College ( )
Class notes regarding the different ethical theories presented such as divine command theory, liberalism, Kant, etc...
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Study GuideDefinition of ethics: ethics comes from the word “ethos” which means mores, customs of a
community. Ethics is the moral principles (ways of formulating what is wrong and bad) that
govern an individual or a society.
Types of ethics: descriptive (how do people act), normative (how are people supposed to act),
fundamental (how you justify it) and applied
Divine Command Theory
What is good is commanded by God/gods
What is bad is forbidden by God/gods
The source of values is traced back to a divine being or beings and the laws or commands these
divine beings hand down through sacred texts and stories.
The values are justified by the authority of the divine.
Example: one of the values presented in the exodus is not to kill anyone
Weakness 1: The theory is limited to religious people. The non-religious cannot have access to
ethics since the source is divine being/beings. As a result, it can be interpreted that religious
people are more special than the other group.
Weakness 2: Within a same religion, there is inconsistency. Sometimes, two texts can promote
contradictory commands or values.
Strength 1: The religious context of values and their love and/or fear of God can make divine
command theory very motivating for believers, and even lead them to great acts that go beyond
the norm.
Strength 2: When clear commands are given, then the rules of behavior are seemingly clear and
simple to follow.
Euthyphro dilemma: What is the source of goodness? Is something good because the gods will it
to be so or is it good because of its intrinsic value?
If goodness depends on the will of God, then He is not limited with his choices. He could
approve of torturing young children even though we consider that to be wrong. The good/bad
becomes arbitrary.
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