An Act Morally Right Produces Positive Results

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1. What is the "Euthyphro Dilemma" in Divine Command Theory, and how may it be resolved?
Euthyphro dilemma refers to a philosophical concern that views morality based on theism. The dilemma runs as follows: - either God commands an act is right because it is, or an action is right because God commands it. The first position of this dilemma holds that God loves right actions because they are good. This claim objects to divine command theory, which states that an act is morally good if God commands it (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, n.d). Its primary problem is that it maintains that something is beyond God. That is to say, God is not fully omnipotent and omniscient. Since God is omnipotent and omniscient, it is unreasonable to claim a standard outside of Him.
The second horn of the dilemma posits that an act is good merely because God says so. If God's choices are arbitrary, then morality is not objective. Simply put, morality becomes arbitrary if an act is right because God commands it (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, n.d). This includes actions known to be evil. For example, if God commands murder, then the murder is just. Since an arbitrary morality is unwanted, the idea that God defines goodness is rejected. The Euthyphro dilemma may be solved by accepting that God can and does define moral and evil by the standard of His own good character.
2. How does Cicero define Natural Law? What, then, is the purpose of positive law according to Cicero?
Cicero defines natural law as a system of ethics that derives moral standards and rules from God, nature, and human reason (Llano Alonso, 2012). According to Cicero, the purpose of positive law is to protect individual rights, resolve civil disputes and maintain safety and order in society.
3. How do David Hume's views of moral beliefs support moral relativism?
David Hume claims that moral beliefs are based on emotion instead of reason. It is because humans have the requisite emotional abilities in addition to their faculty of reason that allow them to determine an ethically wrong action or a virtuous moral behavior (Rachels, 2018). In Hume's view, a morally right or wrong action varies from a person to another because people have different emotions and sentiments. This is similar to moral relativism, which states that ethics has no absolute truths and that a right or wrong action depends on an individual or society.
4. Aristotle has been called the "Father of Natural Law Theory" Is this really so? Explain.
Aristotle is indeed the ''Father of Natural Law'' because he was the first philosopher to define natural law, focusing on distinguishing law and nature. He argued that "what is just by nature is not always the same as what is just by law" (Aristotle, 384-322 BCE). Aristotle believed that there is a natural and positive justice that is valid everywhere with an equal force. Moreover, his association with natural law is due to the interpretation given in his works by Thomas Aquinas.
5. What is Thomas Aquinas' view of Natural Law?