One way of attempting to establish an objective ethics is to try to base our moral beliefs upon religious beliefs, sometimes referred to as the Divine Command Theory of Ethics.

Is religion an adequate foundation for an objective ethics? Plato’s answer. Assignment: Reader: pp. 6-23 [Plato] Blackboard: Plato’s Phaedo YouTube: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVDaSgyi3xE

One way of attempting to establish an objective ethics is to try to base our moral beliefs upon religious beliefs, sometimes referred to as the Divine Command Theory of Ethics. If we believe that God (or gods) exists and that God has created a moral universe for us in which to live, then the laws governing this universe should be seen as absolute and objectively correct, not subject to disagreement or debate. But is this point of view sufficient to the task? Plato, through the voice of Socrates in the dialog, the Euthyphro, seems to raise important questions about whether a belief in a deity can actually explain or account for an objective ethics. What is Socrates’ objection to the Divine Command theory of ethics? In the Phaedo, what alternative does Plato offer?

As we consider these questions, we will address:

Ancient views of ethics and morals
The Divine Command Theory of Ethics
Socrates and Plato’s Critique of the Divine Command Theory

Plato and the “Form” of the Good