The Euthyphro Dilemma
The euthyphro dilemma is a theological question that has posed a problem for philosophers since Plato's time. It focuses on whether morality is independent of God or if it is dependent on him. The answer to this question is not clear and has different forms over the centuries, but it continues to be a subject of discussion today.
The Origin of the Euthyphro Dilemma
The Euthyphro Dilemma originated in a dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro about the nature of piety and religiousness. Socrates asks Euthyphro if he is pious because he persecutes his father or if he persecutes his father because he is pious, and Euthyphro replies that he is pious because the gods love him.
The Problem with the Approaches
The first problem with this approach is that it implies that there is no standard by which we can determine whether something is good or bad. If God had made the world with a standard of rape, murder, and torture as virtues, but mercy and charity as vices, then we could never have known that they were good.
On the other hand, if we believe that the moral standards are based on God's own character, then we can have peace of mind and a clear idea of what is good or bad without resorting to some external standard. This is the position that Christian theology holds, and it avoids both of the horns of the Euthyphro dilemma.
The Modified Divine Command Theory
This view is called the Modified Divine Command Theory and is popular with many Christian theologians. It also avoids the second horn of the Euthyphro dilemma, which is the implication that morality is dependent on God's commands and therefore is not subject to reason.
Some contemporary philosophers have rejected this option because it makes morality arbitrary, yet still subject to God's will. They are called voluntarists, and they argue that God has no rational reason to command any act other than that it is good.
However, there are other approaches to the Euthyphro dilemma that do not make morality arbitrary, but still allow for a standard of goodness that is based on God's own character. The Modified Divine Command Theory, for example, argues that God is the source of morality and that he has created a standard of goodness by nature which he reveals to us.
A False Dichotomy and Alternative Options
Another approach to the Euthyphro dilemma is that it is a false dichotomy. It proposes only two options when there is a third possibility that is much more appealing to most people.
For example, the biblical option is that God is the standard of what is good and that he reveals his nature to us. This is the only option that avoids both horns of the Euthyphro Dilemma, and it is one of the most appealing to many Christians.
It is also possible to take a more radical stance that the gods do not have an ethical or metaphysical status and that morality is simply a product of nature, like a rose. This is the view that Christian philosophers such as Richard Swinburne have embraced. It is also a position that is popular with some atheists, who have argued that religion can only be justified by the suspension of morality.
