This
is a topic of a bigger work that I am laboring on.
What
is Biblical Ethics
A1
Ethics is
B1
the study of moral values and rules.
B2
the study of right and wrong
A2
The philosophical study of ethics refers to people coming up with
a rational (scientific) argument for
a code of right and wrong.
B1
Three broad views
C1
Virtue ethics has to do with the character of the person, not the act
or deed.
C2 Deontology refers
to strict adherence to rules, not necessarily character or deed.
C3 Consequentialism deals
with rightness or wrongness from the outcome/result of the act or
deed.
B2
Examples
C1
Virtue ethics would say it depends on whether the lie helps or hurts
one’s character or the group’s character.
C2
Deontology would hold that lying is always wrong.
C3
Consequentialism would believe that lying is wrong if it hurts
someone.
B3
Source of the rules
C1
Virtue ethics would rely on what would make the being of a person the
best.
C2
Deontology has a number of theories one being the divine
law and moral absolutes from these laws.
C3
Consequentialism bases its rules on what the outcome would be thus
would be flexible or changing depending on the circumstances.
B4
What is desirable
C1
Virtue ethics would hold to desirable virtues or characteristics of
one’s being, however, how they derive their list of what is virtue is
debated among them.
C2
Deontology would point to meeting a standard, an absolute standard.
Murder is always wrong.
C3
Consequentialism often bases what is desirable on the principle of
the greatest happiness. Murder would be wrong it the outcome is not
for the happiness of a person, a group, a family, or society.
B5
Famous examples
C1
Virtue ethics–Aristotle taught that the greatest happiness comes
from practicing virtues. Probably in the sense of having good,
virtuous habits based on reason. Some of these would be reason,
wisdom, justice, temperance, etc. The most common example is to meet
a mean between two extremes; thus courage
is the mean between cowardice and rashness.
C2
Deontology
D1
Augustine taught that humans are to seek the highest good for
personal and societal happiness. This is done by loving God. If one
loves God, then he/she will do
what God commands. God always does things according to love. Moral
truth exists only in dependence of what God says, so his commands are
mortality (right and wrong).
D2
Robert Adams teaches
E1
Two theorems
F1
It is wrong to do X.
F2
it is against God’s laws to do X.
E2
God’s laws do not explain what is moral (right or wrong) but the laws
themselves show and teach what is right or wrong, thus why God made
those laws.
E3
Laws and actions would have to agree with
God’s character especially His characteristic of love.
F1
An action is wrong if and only if it defies God’s character of love.
F2
God cannot command cruelty for instance because it is against His
character of love. Cruelty is not loving. God is loving; thus cruelty
is against God’s character and is wrong.
D3
The Euthyphro
dilemma
E1
Offered by Plato as, "Is X good because God commands it, or does
God command it because it is good?"
E2
The first would imply that everything that God commands is good.
E3
The second would imply that God is subject to a law, a standard,
greater than Himself.
C3
Consequentialism
D1
Basically is the end justifies the
means
D2
Forms
E1
What is best for the state (government) is what is morally good.
(State Consequentialism).
E2
What is best for maximum pleasure is morally good, and what is
painful is morally bad. (Utilitarianism, Hedonism)
E3
What is best for me is morally good; everything else is morally bad.
(Ethical egoism)
E4
What is best for others is morally good; what is best for me that
might hurt others is morally bad. (Ethical altruism)
E5
What is best may be mistaken, but if the motive was good then it is
morally good. (Motive Consequentialism)
E6
What is most loving (as defined by the individual) is morally good,
and what is not loving is morally bad. It all depends on any given
situation. (Situational Ethics)
E7
And many others.
D3
Many different adherents from Milton Friedman to Sam Harris, Peter
Singer, and others.
A3
Biblical ethics is the study of what the Bible teaches on what is
right and wrong.
B1
Philosophically Biblical Christians would be believers
in some form of deontology.
B2
My view
C1
The Bible is God’s revealed words.
C2
God is accurately portrayed in the Bible.
C3
God is good.
C4
God created all things good.
C5
Creation needed laws and regulations for everything to operate
smoothly.
C6
Therefore, God’s rules are good. (because the results are good
according to the operator’s manual).
Posted
by choco at 19:37 8 Jan 15B
Labels: Biblical
Ethics, Christian Ethics, Christian life