Chapter 2 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? Religion involves prayer, worship, and belief, while morality involves behavior of person. 2. Why isn’t religion necessary for moral motivation? Because we don’t want our loves one to feel embarrass in front of a pastor or priest. 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? They are connected in a sense that morality needs religion. 6. Dewey says that morality is social. What does this mean, according to Arthur? 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.