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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page essay that compares and contrasts the ethical system of divine command and ethical egoist. The writer argues that both concepts are seriously flawed. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khdivee.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
philosophers have been trying to discern ethical systems that would provide irrefutable guidelines for judging the morality of certain actions. Two such ethical system are divine command theory and ethical
egoism. Examination of both of these system shows both to be deficient in providing an adequate template for guiding behavior. A "divine command moralist" is an individual "who maintains
that the content of morality...is directly and solely dependent upon the commands and prohibitions of God" (Vacek, 1996, p. 635). For a divine command theorist, the reason why murder is
immoral is because God forbids murder (Vacek, 1996). It is that simple. There is no need to consider why murder is wrong. Anything God commands is by definition moral
(Vacek, 1996). As Richards (2004) points out, the problem with divine command theory is that whatever God says goes. As God is not bound by anything or anyone. Any other
words, if there is no other criteria for what is considered right and wrong, then, presumably God could command individuals to do something that would normally be considered radically immoral,
such as sacrificing a child. In fact, the Bible says that God did just that when he ordered Abraham to sacrifice his only son. Religious people will immediately point
out that God stopped Abraham from committing this act, but the point is that Abraham was quite prepared to do it and this was the sort of obedience that God
expected, indicating his approval of Abraham for being willing to undertake the murder of his child. Psychopaths routinely attribute their crimes to divine commandments. Ethical egoists attempt to answer
the question of ethical behavior according to the idea that everyone is inclined by human nature to look after their own personal interests (Moseley, 2004). Ethical egoists hold that to
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