Counter Apologetics

CA125 The Moral Argument for God

Dec 19, 2023

William Lane Craig, popularized the standard moral argument. The podcast challenges the idea that morality is objective only if God exists. It discusses the definition of terms, refutes apologetic canards, and explores how apologists have misrepresented the field of metaethics. The podcast also examines the distinction between moral realism and subjective morality, explores human behavior vs animal behavior, and discusses the origin of morality and the role of God in authoring moral laws.

40:23

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Episode guests

William Lane Craig

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

The moral argument for God relies on the assumption that objective moral values cannot exist without God, but the podcast challenges this by presenting alternative metaethical positions that do not require God as the grounding of objective morality.

The podcast criticizes mainstream apologetics for its failure to adequately address crucial terms, the relationship between apologetics and metaethics, and misconceptions regarding subjective morality, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of metaethical positions.

Deep dives

The moral argument for God is analyzed

In this podcast episode, the host discusses the moral argument for God in three parts. The first part focuses on explaining why the host believes the moral argument doesn't work. The main points of criticism are highlighted, including the problem of defining crucial terms, the relationship between apologetics and metaethics, and the canards that bother the host, such as the assumption that a moral law implies a moral law giver and the belief that humans are just animals, leading to a lack of moral accountability. The host emphasizes that mainstream apologetics has failed in adequately addressing these concerns.

Introduction

2min

Moral Objectivity and the Existence of God

8min

Exploring Descriptive vs Evaluative Facts and Objective Morality

19min

Understanding Right and Wrong on a Naturalistic Worldview

6min

Exploring the Origin of Morality and the Role of God in Authoring Moral Laws

2min

Exploring Rationality and the Existence of Rules

3min

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And morality.

The standard moral argument popularized by William Lane Craig and others goes as follows:

(1) If God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist.

(2) Objective moral values do exist.

(3) Therefore, God exists.

Today, we cast some doubt on the idea that morality is objective only if God exists. We also define some crucial terms, refute a few apologetic canards, and discuss a few ways in which apologists have misrepresented the field of metaethics and failed the audiences that rely on them.

Here’s the overview of the whole moral argument series. Today, in part one, we’ll be covering sections (1)-(5).

(1) Introduction

(2) Defining Terms

(3) Apologetics vs. Metaethics

(4) “Humans are just animals” (Moral agents vs. patients)

(5) The Moral Law Giver

(6) Euthyphro & Intrinsic Value

(7) Hume’s Law

(8) Why Obey God?

(9) Groundless Morals

(10) Two Classes of Moral Realism

(11) God Cannot Provide the Basis for Objective Morality