Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Title: John Arthur: Religion, Morality, and Conscience
Quote: “Mortality is social”
Expectation: I expect to learn more about the religion, morality and conscience of human being.
Book Review:
In general, the article is about morality and religion. It discusses the differences between the
two. Religion is described in a society that has own beliefs. It has something to do in worship to God that
they believe who created every one of us. While morality is to ask what it would mean for a society to
exist without a social moral code. In this chapter, I understood the Divine Command Theory, know why
John Arthur said that religion and moral is different and know that Dewey means morality is social.
I have learned that religion is necessary for providing motivation for morality. It is also necessary
for guidance in what is right and wrong. Religion does not provide straightforward guidance. It needs to
be interpreted, but in order to interpret it we should bring moral beliefs to abide. Therefore, religion has
something to do with morality in some way it claims that God determines what is right and what is
wrong. John Arthur compares this to legal policies of the government, if there would be no God’s
presence there would be no moral right or wrong just as without a legislature there would be no legal
right or wrong.
He also argues that the divine command theory has some undesirable consequences. Arthur
believes that everyone who needs a religion they should believe in one thing such as religious beliefs.
In morality as being social, in this sense, it does not mean that one’s society is impossible to
criticize one another. Thus, criticizing a social morality does not respite on the ideality of the
internalization but rather on the existing individuality of everybody.
Integrity Questions:
What is morality?
What is religion?
What is conscience?
What is the Divine Command theory?
Who is Arthur?
Who is Dewey?
Review Questions:
1. According to Arthur, how are morality and religion different?
2. Why isn’t religion necessary for moral motivation?
Religion is not needed in providing moral motivation or guidance and that the religious person
should not give to to the divine command theory’s claim that God is essential for there to be
morality. It is because that the morality and religion are independent of each other. Morality
can leave without religion and vice versa. One thing is every one of us has there own
perspectives.
3. Why isn’t religion necessary as a source of moral knowledge?
Religion teaches about God, while moral knowledge talks about the human behavior.
4. What is the divine command theory? Why does Arthur reject this theory?
Divine Command theory talks about God. His law is also our law. Arthur rejects this theory
because whatever God told us in the Law is correct. What if it is not written then it is wrong?
5. According to Arthur, how are morality and religion connected?
Religion also plays a role in morality that relates to the motives of every people. If people will
have their own religion, many of them will probably do right. Normally, it begins with the
important point that doing what is right has something to do with morality. You can avoid
cheating if you can be a good servant of God.
6. Dewey says that morality is social. What does this mean, according to Arthur?
According to Arthur, morality’s social character extends deeper. The existence of morality
assumes that we possess a social acquired language within which we think about our choices
and which alternatives we have to follow.
Discussion Questions:
1. Has Arthur refuted the divine command theory? If not, how can it be defended?
Yes, because he stated so many words against the divine command theory.
2. If morality is social, as Dewy says, then how can we have any obligations to nonhuman animals?
We don’t have any obligations to nonhuman animals
3. What does Dewey mean by moral education? Does a college ethics class count as moral education?
Yes, because it discusses about morality.