God and Morality (Elements in the Philosophy of Religion)

Description

This Element has two aims. The first is to discuss arguments philosophers have made about the difference God's existence might make to questions of general interest in metaethics. The second is to argue that it is a mistake to think we can get very far in answering these questions by assuming a thin conception of God, and to suggest that exploring the implications of thick theisms for metaethics would be more fruitful. Cover Title page Copyright page God and Morality Contents 1 Introduction 2 Grounding Normativity in God 2.1 The Argument from Objective Moral Value 2.1.1 The Argument from Queerness and Error Theory 2.1.2 No Source Argument 2.2 Arguments from Moral Obligation 2.2.1 Autonomy 2.2.2 The Cudworthy Objection 2.2.3 The Arbitrariness Objection 2.2.4 Hybrid Views 2.2.5 Secular Contractualism 2.3 The Argument from Goodness 2.3.1 The Metaethical Anselmian Argument 2.3.2 Objections from Atheism and Apophaticism 2.3.3 Postmodern Theism’s Objection to Ontotheology 2.4 The Explainer-Driven Argument 2.4.1 God and Moral Laws 2.4.2 Natural Law and Indifferent Deism 3 God and Moral Epistemology 3.1 Theism and Moral Skepticism 3.1.1 The Evidential Problem of Evil 3.1.2 Skeptical Theism 3.1.3 The Too-Much-Skepticism Objection 3.1.4 The Divine Revelation Solution 3.1.5 Which Theists Can Be Skeptical Theists? 3.2 Theistic Replies to Debunking Arguments 3.2.1 Evolutionary Debunking Arguments 3.2.2 Failures of Secular Replies 3.2.3 Theistic Replies to Debunking 3.2.4 Thick Theisms and EDAs 3.3 The Naturalist Explanationist Argument 3.3.1 Harman’s Challenge and Naturalist Realism 3.3.2 Varieties of Theism and Supernaturalist Realism 4 God, Moral Attitudes, and Moral Motivation 4.1 The Problem of Evil for Everyone 4.1.1 The Problem of Systemic Evil 4.1.2 Theistic Advantage? 4.1.3 Which Theism Has the Advantage over Which Atheism? 4.2 Hope and the Theistic Practical Postulate 4.2.1 The Conflict between the Right and the Good 4.2.2 The Need for Hope in God 4.2.3 Providence and Moral Motivation 4.2.4 The Argument from Grace 5 Conclusions 5.1 Too-Thick Theism? 5.2 Exclusivism 5.3 Some Exemplars References Acknowledgments