THE MORAL ARGUMENT FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

1. THE MORAL ARGUMENT FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

2. OVERVIEW All of the so-called Moral Arguments attempt to prove God�s existence from the evidence and experience of morality in the world. MORALITY => GOD

3. ASSUMPTIONS MADE That the vast majority of us have experience of the moral life. That experience includes a sense of moral obligation. Despite some cultural differences, we share a broad agreement on what is morally right and wrong.

4. WHY ARE THERE CROSS-CULTURAL SIMILARITIES? Morality comes from God who has built an objective set of rules into our conscience. (eg. H.P.Owen) An objective appraisal of the world leads us to the view that there are good and bad goals and values to be aimed for and upheld. (eg. Kant) Morality is how societies cope with the demands of living together.

5. Morality coming from God?H.P.Owen�s argument He assumes that there are objective moral laws � which always hold true independently of humans. Since laws do not write themselves, they must be either brute facts or put there by God. The former is not an explanation, so God.

6. Morality coming from God?Newman�s argument Start with the fact of conscience, an inner voice guiding behaviour and producing feelings of guilt and shame. Infer that conscience is the voice of God within us. Therefore God exists.

7. Morality objectively pointing towards God This rejects logic but interprets morality as a religious experience pointing towards God. A sense of obligation guides our moral choices. Each person has intrinsic value. The source of that value is God,who has instilled it in creation and we thus have an indirect experience of God.

8. Introducing Kant1724-1804 Kant is one of the most important philosophers in history. He is also one of the most difficult to get to grips with in the early stages. Don�t panic. What follows is fairly easy as Kant goes!

9. Immanuel Kant�s argument #1 Kant�s approach is not really an argument � he said God is a matter for faith not logic! He reasoned like this. In a perfect world morality leads to the natural reward for virtue, namely (immediate?) happiness. In our world this rarely happens. It is not the consequences of our actions that motivate us. It is our objective sense of moral obligation.

10. Kant�s argument #2 There are certain rationally discoverable laws that we are duty bound to follow � the Categorical Imperatives. A Categorical Imperative is a law that is binding in all situations. eg. Do unto others as you would have them do to you.

11. Kant�s argument #3 Kant effectively is asking, �If I experience this sense of objective obligation, what else must I be implicitly accepting as true?� His answer was that there are three assumptions we must make: [1] freedom [2] immortality [3] God

12. Kant�s argument #4 Freedom, immortality & God are the postulates of morality. If we accept objective morality then we are required to accept these postulates. All this is found in Kant�s �Critique of Practical Reason�. The consummation of all this is in the summum bonum � the highest good, where absolute morality and absolute happiness come together.

13. A summary of Kant so far� There are three stages in his �argument�: {1} morality requires that we aim for the highest good. {2} we cannot attain this unless there is a God to assist us. {3} God must exist to ensure that we can achieve what we are duty bound to do.

14. Is the moral argument successful? #1 There is no doubting the appeal of the Moral Arguments for those who for other reasons already believe in God. But if you do not believe in God, or do not believe in objective law, the arguments are unlikely to convince you. Four lines of objection are often cited:

15. Is the moral argument successful? #2 Not all moral codes agree.You can explain them without reference to God. The concept of objective law has been vigorously challenged. Even if you accept objective law, God may not be necessary. Proof of God is elusive; the best you could get from Moral Arguments is a lawgiver.

16. Non-religious explanations for morality #1 There are many alternatives on offer: (1) Cultural evolution: the demands of living closely with others generates morality as a safety device to restrict behaviours. (2) Sigmund Freud reckoned that the conscience is the product of the unconscious mind. He called it the super-ego, a kind of internalised parent.

17. Non-religious explanations for morality #2 Psychological accounts of moral development speak in terms of social conditioning as we grow up. Freud�s is only one particular account. The sheer variability of the content of consciences suggests it is not God speaking. The range of �objective� laws suggests a multiple human origin not a single divine one.

18. Problems with the concept of Objective Law Moral systems based on laws are callous and unsatisfactory. It is better to look to consequences and individual circumstances. Situation ethics is an example here. The only principle is to love agapeistically. Ask �what is good for my neighbour?� A priori objective moral laws, in deontological systems such as Kant�s, regard consequences as irrelevant.

19. Non-religious explanations for Objective Law Brian Davies argues that you can believe in objective law without believing in God. It is possible to have ideals and believe that they are binding on others even if there are no God given guarantees of attaining them. In any case, all that Kantian arguments establish is a lawgiver, not the �four-omni�s�God of Classical Theism.

20. CONCLUSION These arguments don�t work. It may strengthen some aspects of the belief of the believer. The unbeliever will not become religious on the basis of this argument. If there is a God then moral laws are to be expected. But moral laws do not necessitate the existence of God.

21. Acknowledgement This presentation is heavily indebted to the treatment of the topic found in chapter 7 of �Philosophy of Religion for A-level� by Jordan, Lockyer & Tate, STP, 1999. You are strongly recommended to study the chapter and to consult other introductory treatments of the Moral Arguments.