PHIL 240A: HANDOUT #10. THE GENERAL EUTHYPHRO QUESTION
INCLUDES HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
#6 [35 POINTS]
(DUE IN CLASS ON TUESDAY,
JULY 22)
This assignment asks you to classify
various moral views according to the answer that they give to the General
Euthyphro Question. The General
Euthyphro Question need not be limited to moral theories. It can be asked of any individual or
community regarded as an authority on some subject. The non-moral examples we used in class were mathematical truth
and truth about meaning. If we want to
know whether Fermat's Last Theorem is true, we look to see if there is a proof
generally accepted by mathematicians.
We rely on the agreement of mathematicians. But someone could ask a version of the General Euthyphro Question
concerning Fermat's Last Theorem. Let
the relevant authority A = the community of mathematicians; and let S =
Fermat's Last Theorem.
GENERAL EUTHYPHRO QUESTION: For a particular statement S and a relevant
authority A: Is S true [or appropriate]
because the relevant authority A agrees that S is true [or appropriate]; or
does the relevant authority A agree that S is true [or appropriate] because S
is true [or appropriate]?
The two possible answers are: TRUTH [OR APPROPRIATENESS] MAKING
ANSWER: S is true [or appropriate]
because the relevant authority A agrees that S is true [or appropriate]. (Agreement of the relevant authority A makes
S true [or appropriate].)
TRUTH DETECTION ANSWER: The relevant authority A agrees that S is
true (or appropriate) because S is true.
(The relevant authority A detects (though perhaps not infallibly)
that S is true.)
Most people give the TRUTH DETECTION ANSWER to the
General Euthyphro Question for statements of mathematics such as Fermat's Last
Theorem, and for the purposes of this course, we will assume that that is the
correct answer (and not merely because most people think that it is!) If we give the TRUTH DETECTION ANSWER, then
we are leaving open the possibility that the relevant authorities might make a
mistake (unless, like God, the relevant authority is presumed to be
infallible).
In contrast, consider meaning
theory. If we want to know the meaning
of the English word "sister", we could ask a competent speaker of the
language. If all competent speakers of
English (the relevant community) agree that "sister" means
"female sibling", then it seems that "sister" must mean
"female sibling". It does not
seem to make sense to suppose that all speakers of English might agree that
"sister" means "female sibling", but they might all be
mistaken! Let A = the community of
competent speakers of English; and let S = "sister" means
"female sibling". When we ask
the General Version of the Euthyphro Question concerning questions about
meaning, most people give the TRUTH MAKING ANSWER (It is true that
"sister" means "female sibling" in English because the
relevant authorities (competent speakers of English) agree), not the TRUTH
DETECTION ANSWER (The relevant authorities (competent speakers of English) agree
that "sister" means "female sibling" because it is
true). Agreement by the speakers of
English makes it true that "sister" means "female
sibling". But agreement by
mathematicians does not make Fermat's Last Thorem true.
Once you understand the non-moral
examples, you are ready to do this homework assignment:
(a) Divine Command Theory
(b) Kantian Ethical Theory [Hint: According to Kant, which faculty serves as
our moral authority?]
(c) Normative Cultural Relativism (e.g.,
MacIntyre).
(d) Noncognitivist Communitarian Theory (e.g.
Hume or Mackie)
(e) Aristotelian Virtue Theory
(f) Social Practice Utilitarian (e.g.,
Mill). Consider the views of a social
practice utilitarian who claims that communities that have existed for a
substantial period of time have evolved practices that do a pretty good job of
maximizing overall utility when generally followed. [This is not an easy question.
Make sure you take advantage of the discussion of it in section before
trying to answer it.]
(g) Existentialism (e.g., Jean-Paul Sartre)