I recently learned of an interesting apologetic argument. I think it has some merit, but I have never seen it presented on AF before:
1) Each person is obligated to follow his or her moral conscience.
2) The human conscience is the product of something: either instinctual nature, the individual, society, or divine.
3) No one is morally obligated to follow instinct since instincts easily fail upon rational consideration.
4) No one individual’s conscience is absolute and morally binding on others.
5) Individual consciences cannot be added together unless each person relies on their own conscience to feel morally obliged to the group. Thus it is functionally equivalent to individual conscience as a source.
6) The only remaining source is something that transcends nature, the individual, and society. Such a source must be divine.
I must say that the argument would apply equally to any divine source, whether it is the Abrahamic God or the Greek Pantheon. Also, I'm not sure what to think of the first premise; it seems self-evident. There is the possibility that moral conscience comes from none-of-the-above, but I am hard pressed to say what that may be.
1) Each person is obligated to follow his or her moral conscience.
2) The human conscience is the product of something: either instinctual nature, the individual, society, or divine.
3) No one is morally obligated to follow instinct since instincts easily fail upon rational consideration.
4) No one individual’s conscience is absolute and morally binding on others.
5) Individual consciences cannot be added together unless each person relies on their own conscience to feel morally obliged to the group. Thus it is functionally equivalent to individual conscience as a source.
6) The only remaining source is something that transcends nature, the individual, and society. Such a source must be divine.
I must say that the argument would apply equally to any divine source, whether it is the Abrahamic God or the Greek Pantheon. Also, I'm not sure what to think of the first premise; it seems self-evident. There is the possibility that moral conscience comes from none-of-the-above, but I am hard pressed to say what that may be.
