June 30, 2021
THE ANSWER IS, NO:
If there is no God, can anything be objectively good? (JONNY THOMSON, 29 June, 2021, Big Think)
When King Creon, in the play Antigone, refuses to accept the prophecy of Tiresias, the prophet of Apollo, it is considered a sacrilege and disaster lies not far behind. When King Oedipus denies the Oracle at Delphi, he ends up mad and clawing out his own eyes. And, famously, when Icarus flies too close to the sun, his waxen wings melt, and he comes crashing to the ground. The lesson is clear: annoy the gods, and you'll be punished. To be good is to do what the gods want you to do.Today, many world religions are not dissimilar. The Qur'an, Torah, and Bible all contain moral and legal codes given purely by the edict of God. Sharia in Islam, the Torah in Judaism, and the Gospels or Paul's letters in Christianity (as well as papal edicts for Catholics) define what is right and wrong. Murder is wrong because it's a commandment. Donating a portion of your wealth (Zakat) is right because it's in the Qur'an. Love your neighbor as you love yourself is right because Jesus said so. This view of ethics is what's called the "divine command theory".
Posted by Orrin Judd at June 30, 2021 6:19 AM