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Some Moral Dilemmas Indicated by the Euthyphro Dilemma

Year 2021, Volume: 2 Issue: 74, 94 - 117, 15.12.2021

Abstract

This article has provided a beginning point for the debate about the origins of morality, known as the "Euthyphro Dilemma" expressed by Plato in antiquity: “Did God command an act because it was morally correct (or good)? (or) Did that act become a morally correct (or good) act because God commanded it?” While the first part of this dilemma raises the possibility that divine commands may be redundant in terms of morality; the second part has been the subject of some of theological and philosophical objections by linking morality to divine commands. This article discusses three of these objections to the divine command theory: (1) Can God's moral commands be arbitrary? (2) Is it possible to regard God to be the epistemic basis of morality? (3) Is there a contradiction between the moral authority of God and the moral pluralism in the modern world? The basis of the discussions in the context of these questions is actually about how to understand moral good and obligation. This article claims that these objections can be resolved by distinguishing between moral good and moral obligation. If moral goodness is inherent in God's flawless nature; if moral responsibility is founded in His commands, objections to divine command theories can be addressed more readily.

References

  • Adams, Robert Merrihew. Finite and Infinite Goods. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
  • Al-Attar, Mariam. Islamic Ethics: Divine Command Theory in Arabo-Islamic Thought. Oxford: Routledge, 2012.
  • Aydın, Mehmet. Tanrı-Ahlâk ilişkisi. Ankara: TDV Yayınları, 1991.
  • Baggett, David - Walls, Jerry L. Good God:The Theistic Foundations of Morality. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.
  • Barlak, Muzaffer. Husün-Kubuh: İyilik ve Kötülüğün Kaynağı. Ankara: Ankara Okulu Yayınları, 2016.
  • Boyd, Craig A. - VanArragon, Raymond J. “Ethics Is Based on Natural Law (Is Morality Based on God’s Commands?)”. Contemporary Debates in the Philosophy of Religion. ed. Michael L. Peterson ve Raymond J. VanArragon. 290-314. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2004.
  • Craig, William Lane. “This Most Gruesome of Guests”. Is Goodness without God Good Enough? A Debate on Faith, Secularism, and Ethics. ed. Robert K. Garcia - Nathan L. King. 167-188. Lanham, ML: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009.
  • Çakmak, Mustafa. Ahlâk, Tanrı ve Yasa. İstanbul: İZ Yayıncılık, 2019.
  • Çakmak, Mustafa. “Yeni Doğal Yasa Teorisinde Temel Ahlâkî Değerler İle İnsan Doğası Arasındaki İlişki”. ed. Hasan Meydan. 105-120. Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit Üniversitesi Yayınları, 2018.
  • Duran, Muhammed Sait. “Euthyphron-İkilemi: Ahlak ve İlahi İrade İlişkisi”. Temaşa Felsefe Dergisi 14 (2020), 83-98.
  • Emon, Anver M. vd. (ed.). Natural Law: A Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Trialogue. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.
  • Evans, C. Stephen. God and Moral Obligation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
  • Evans, C. Stephen. Natural Signs and Knowledge of God: A New Look at Theistic Arguments. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
  • Fahri, Macit. İslam Ahlâk Teorileri. çev. Atilla Arkan. İstanbul: Litera Yayıncılık, 2018.
  • Fazlıoğlu, İhsan. “Yeni Bir Ahlâk Nazariyesi: Tarihin Bir Türevi Olarak Ahlâk”. Ahlâkın Temeli. ed. Ömer Türker. 41-54, 2015.
  • Grisez, G. vd. “Practical Principles, Moral Truth, and Ultimate Ends”. American Journal of Jurisprudence 32/ (1987), 99-151.
  • Hare, John E. God’s Command. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015.
  • Idziak, Janine Marie. “Divine Commands Are the Foundation of Morality (Is Morality Based on God’s Commands?)”. Contemporary Debates in the Philosophy of Religion. ed. Michael L. Peterson ve Raymond J. VanArragon. 290-314. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2004.
  • Kurtz, Paul. “Ethics without God: Theism versus Secular Humanism”. Is Goodness without God Good Enough: A Debate on Faith, Secularism, and Ethics. ed. Robert K vd. 189-214. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littefield, 2009.
  • Kurtz, Paul. “The Kurtz/Craig Debate: Is Goodness without God Good Enough?” Is Goodness without God Good Enough? A Debate on Faith, Secularism, and Ethics. ed. Nathan L. King Robert K. Garcia. 25-48. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009.
  • MacIntyre, Alasdair. “Whose Justice? Which Rationality?” University of Notre Dame Press, 1988. University of Notre Dame Press.
  • Mawson, T. J. “The Euthyphro Dilemma”. Think 7/20 (2008), 25-33.
  • Mouw, Richard J. The God Who Command: A Study in Divine Command Ethics. Notre Dame: University of Nodre Dame Press, 1990.
  • Platon. Euthyphron. çev. Güvenç Kar. İstanbul: Kabalcı Yayınevi, 2011.
  • Porter, Jean. “Divine Commands, Natural Law, and the Authority of God”. Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics 1 (2014), 3-20.
  • Quinn, Philip L. “Divine Command Theory”. The Blackwell Guide to Ethical Theory. ed. Hugh LaFollette ve Ingmar Persson. 81-102. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2013.
  • Quinn, Philip L. Divine Commands and Moral Requirements. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978.
  • Quinn, Philip L. “Theological Voluntarism”. The Oxford Handbook of Ethical Theory. ed. David Copp. 63-90. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
  • Rachels, James. The Elements of Moral Philosophy. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 1986.
  • Rahimi, Simin. “A Resolution to the Euthyphro Dilemma”. Heythrop Journal 50/5 (2009), 753-766.
  • Rawls, John. Political Liberalism. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993.
  • Reçber, M. Sait. “Tanrı ve Ahlâkî Doğruların Zorunluluğu”. AUİFD 1/ (2003).
  • Shafer-Landau, Russ. The Fundementals of Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.
  • Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter. Tanrısız Ahlak. çev. Atilla Tuygan. İstanbul: Ayrıntı Yayınları, 2011.
  • Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter. “There Is No Good Reason to Believe in God”. God?: A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist. ed. William Lane Craig - Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. 31-52. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
  • Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter. “Why Traditional Theism Cannot Provide an Adequate Foundation for Morality”. Is Goodness Without God Good Enough? A Debate on Faith, Secularism, and Ethics. ed. Robert K. Garcia. 101-115. New York: Rowman&Littlefield Publishers, 2009.
  • Swinburne, Richard. “God and Morality”. Think 7/ (2008), 7-15.
  • Wierenga, Edward R. The Nature of God: An Inquiry into Divine Attributes. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1989.
  • Zagzebski, Linda. Divine Motivation Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

EUTHYPHRON İKİLEMİNİN İŞARET ETTİĞİ BAZI AHLÂKÎ AÇMAZLAR

Year 2021, Volume: 2 Issue: 74, 94 - 117, 15.12.2021

Abstract

Bu makale Antik dönemde Platon’un dile getirdiği, “Euthyphron Dilemması” olarak bilinen, ahlâkın kaynağının ne olduğu tartışmasını kendine başlangıç noktası yapmıştır: “Acaba Tanrı, bir eylemi ahlâkî açıdan doğru (veya iyi) olduğu için mi emretmiştir? Yoksa Tanrı emrettiği için mi o eylem ahlâkî açıdan doğru (veya iyi) bir eylem haline gelmiştir?” Bu dilemmanın birinci parçası Tanrının emirlerinin ahlâkın temellenmesi açısından gereksiz olabileceği ihtimalini gündeme getirirken; ikinci parçası ahlâkîliği ilahî emirlere bağlayarak birtakım teolojik ve felsefi itirazlara konu olmuştur. Bu makale ilahî emir teorisine dönük söz konusu itirazlardan üç tanesini tartışmaktadır: (1) Tanrının ahlâkî buyrukları keyfî olabilir mi? (2) Tanrı, ahlâkın epistemik temeli olarak değerlendirilebilir mi? (3) Tanrının ahlâkî otoritesi ile dünyada var olan ahlâkî çoğulculuk arasında bir çelişki var mıdır? Bu sorular bağlamındaki tartışmaların dayandığı zemin aslında ahlâkî iyi ile zorunluluğu nasıl anlaşılacağıyla ilgilidir. Bu makale söz konusu itirazların çözümünü ahlâkî iyi ile ahlâkî zorunluluk arasında yapılacak ayrımda görmektedir. Eğer ahlâkî iyi Tanrının mükemmel doğasında; ahlâkî ödev ise O’nun emirlerinde temellendirilirse ilahî emir teorilerine yönelik itirazlara daha kolay karşılıklar verilebilir.

References

  • Adams, Robert Merrihew. Finite and Infinite Goods. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
  • Al-Attar, Mariam. Islamic Ethics: Divine Command Theory in Arabo-Islamic Thought. Oxford: Routledge, 2012.
  • Aydın, Mehmet. Tanrı-Ahlâk ilişkisi. Ankara: TDV Yayınları, 1991.
  • Baggett, David - Walls, Jerry L. Good God:The Theistic Foundations of Morality. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.
  • Barlak, Muzaffer. Husün-Kubuh: İyilik ve Kötülüğün Kaynağı. Ankara: Ankara Okulu Yayınları, 2016.
  • Boyd, Craig A. - VanArragon, Raymond J. “Ethics Is Based on Natural Law (Is Morality Based on God’s Commands?)”. Contemporary Debates in the Philosophy of Religion. ed. Michael L. Peterson ve Raymond J. VanArragon. 290-314. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2004.
  • Craig, William Lane. “This Most Gruesome of Guests”. Is Goodness without God Good Enough? A Debate on Faith, Secularism, and Ethics. ed. Robert K. Garcia - Nathan L. King. 167-188. Lanham, ML: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009.
  • Çakmak, Mustafa. Ahlâk, Tanrı ve Yasa. İstanbul: İZ Yayıncılık, 2019.
  • Çakmak, Mustafa. “Yeni Doğal Yasa Teorisinde Temel Ahlâkî Değerler İle İnsan Doğası Arasındaki İlişki”. ed. Hasan Meydan. 105-120. Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit Üniversitesi Yayınları, 2018.
  • Duran, Muhammed Sait. “Euthyphron-İkilemi: Ahlak ve İlahi İrade İlişkisi”. Temaşa Felsefe Dergisi 14 (2020), 83-98.
  • Emon, Anver M. vd. (ed.). Natural Law: A Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Trialogue. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.
  • Evans, C. Stephen. God and Moral Obligation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
  • Evans, C. Stephen. Natural Signs and Knowledge of God: A New Look at Theistic Arguments. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
  • Fahri, Macit. İslam Ahlâk Teorileri. çev. Atilla Arkan. İstanbul: Litera Yayıncılık, 2018.
  • Fazlıoğlu, İhsan. “Yeni Bir Ahlâk Nazariyesi: Tarihin Bir Türevi Olarak Ahlâk”. Ahlâkın Temeli. ed. Ömer Türker. 41-54, 2015.
  • Grisez, G. vd. “Practical Principles, Moral Truth, and Ultimate Ends”. American Journal of Jurisprudence 32/ (1987), 99-151.
  • Hare, John E. God’s Command. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015.
  • Idziak, Janine Marie. “Divine Commands Are the Foundation of Morality (Is Morality Based on God’s Commands?)”. Contemporary Debates in the Philosophy of Religion. ed. Michael L. Peterson ve Raymond J. VanArragon. 290-314. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2004.
  • Kurtz, Paul. “Ethics without God: Theism versus Secular Humanism”. Is Goodness without God Good Enough: A Debate on Faith, Secularism, and Ethics. ed. Robert K vd. 189-214. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littefield, 2009.
  • Kurtz, Paul. “The Kurtz/Craig Debate: Is Goodness without God Good Enough?” Is Goodness without God Good Enough? A Debate on Faith, Secularism, and Ethics. ed. Nathan L. King Robert K. Garcia. 25-48. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009.
  • MacIntyre, Alasdair. “Whose Justice? Which Rationality?” University of Notre Dame Press, 1988. University of Notre Dame Press.
  • Mawson, T. J. “The Euthyphro Dilemma”. Think 7/20 (2008), 25-33.
  • Mouw, Richard J. The God Who Command: A Study in Divine Command Ethics. Notre Dame: University of Nodre Dame Press, 1990.
  • Platon. Euthyphron. çev. Güvenç Kar. İstanbul: Kabalcı Yayınevi, 2011.
  • Porter, Jean. “Divine Commands, Natural Law, and the Authority of God”. Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics 1 (2014), 3-20.
  • Quinn, Philip L. “Divine Command Theory”. The Blackwell Guide to Ethical Theory. ed. Hugh LaFollette ve Ingmar Persson. 81-102. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2013.
  • Quinn, Philip L. Divine Commands and Moral Requirements. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978.
  • Quinn, Philip L. “Theological Voluntarism”. The Oxford Handbook of Ethical Theory. ed. David Copp. 63-90. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
  • Rachels, James. The Elements of Moral Philosophy. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 1986.
  • Rahimi, Simin. “A Resolution to the Euthyphro Dilemma”. Heythrop Journal 50/5 (2009), 753-766.
  • Rawls, John. Political Liberalism. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993.
  • Reçber, M. Sait. “Tanrı ve Ahlâkî Doğruların Zorunluluğu”. AUİFD 1/ (2003).
  • Shafer-Landau, Russ. The Fundementals of Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.
  • Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter. Tanrısız Ahlak. çev. Atilla Tuygan. İstanbul: Ayrıntı Yayınları, 2011.
  • Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter. “There Is No Good Reason to Believe in God”. God?: A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist. ed. William Lane Craig - Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. 31-52. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
  • Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter. “Why Traditional Theism Cannot Provide an Adequate Foundation for Morality”. Is Goodness Without God Good Enough? A Debate on Faith, Secularism, and Ethics. ed. Robert K. Garcia. 101-115. New York: Rowman&Littlefield Publishers, 2009.
  • Swinburne, Richard. “God and Morality”. Think 7/ (2008), 7-15.
  • Wierenga, Edward R. The Nature of God: An Inquiry into Divine Attributes. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1989.
  • Zagzebski, Linda. Divine Motivation Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
There are 39 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language Turkish
Subjects Philosophy
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Mustafa Çakmak 0000-0002-6833-9970

Publication Date December 15, 2021
Submission Date September 16, 2021
Published in Issue Year 2021 Volume: 2 Issue: 74

Cite

APA Çakmak, M. (2021). EUTHYPHRON İKİLEMİNİN İŞARET ETTİĞİ BAZI AHLÂKÎ AÇMAZLAR. Felsefe Dünyası, 2(74), 94-117.