Al‐ghazālī's Divine Command Theory
Biting the Bullet
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14760772 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ali Malik (0000-0001-5050-474X, corresponding author), Shoaib Ahmed Malik |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 546-576 |
| Publication date | 2021-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Religious Ethics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0384-9694 • E-ISSN: 1467-9795 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/jore.12365 |
| OpenAlex | W3206357084 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 44 |
This article reviews al‐Ghazālī's conception of Divine Command Theory (DCT) in light of contemporary philosophical developments. There are two well‐known objections against DCT. These include the problem of arbitrariness (PoA), which states that God randomly chose our moral framework for no reason given His capability to choose any moral commands; and the problem of God's goodness (PoGG), which questions God's goodness if morality could be other than what it is. Modern defenders of DCT have attempted to counter these objections through various strategies. This article juxtaposes al‐Ghazālī's interpretation of DCT with modern strategies to illustrate how these two issues are untroubling concerns in al‐Ghazālī's framework. In doing so, it highlights where and how they differ in their approaches. Additionally, it critiques interpretations suggested by some contemporary thinkers who suggest that al‐Ghazālī may not be a strict proponent of DCT
Arbitrariness · Epistemology · Interpretation (philosophy · Linguistics · Morality · Islamic Studies and History · Islamic Thought and Society Studies · Medieval and Classical Philosophy · Philosophy
An Introduction to Classical Islamic Philosophy
Gendered Morality
The Foundation of Norms in Islamic Jurisprudence and Theology
Reason and Tradition in Islamic Ethics
Maṣlaḥa and the Purpose of the Law
Meta-ethics
The Routledge Companion to Islamic Philosophy
Islam and Rationality
Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam
Al-Ghazali's Philosophical Theology
Islam and Evolution
Are omnipotence and necessary moral perfection compatible? Reply to Mawson
Is the divine command theory defensible
Ockham as a divine-command theorist
What if God commanded something terrible? A worry for divine-command meta-ethics
Divine will/divine command moral theories and the problem of arbitrariness
Omnipotence and necessary moral perfection
Omnipotence and necessary moral perfection are compatible
Counterpossibles and the ‘terrible’ divine command deity
Restating Orientalism
God's Obligations
Islam, the Divine Command Theory, and Religious Fundamentalism
Cognitive Science of Religion and the Study of Islam
Evolutionary, Cognitive, and Contextual Approaches to the Study of Religious Systems
Divine Purposiveness and its Implications in Legal Theory
Al‐Ghazālī's Use of “Original Human Disposition” ( Fiṭra ) and Its Background in the Teachings of al‐Fārābī and Avicenna
Before Revelation
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2025 (4) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |