Certainly the three fields disagree quite often about important questions, but I’m having a conversation where we’re not ready to go there quite yet. Certainly the Bible commands very bad things, while laws are frequently quite bad too, and using the Bible as a lawbook would be catastrophic, but this is not my question today.
- Theology
- Moral philosophy
- Law
How are these three fields focused differently? How do they have different goals? Why have three different fields at all? How do their intentions differ?
Thanks in advance to anyone who reads my question.
Posted: June 29th 2009
Eric_PK www
Theology is really about the study of god. Most religions assert that moral guidance is part of their teachings, though in practice their followers tend to accept some of the teachings and not others (the bible, for example is fine with slavery, but most christians are not…). But theology really isn’t about morality, since theology says “don’t do
Moral philosophy – or the study of ethics – is about what is moral, and while there are lots of discussions about fine points, there is also a lot of agreement about what is good and what is bad.
Law is about controlling behavior, and laws are written by those who are in charge in a society. Sometimes they have good motives (the creators of the US constitution, for example), but many times they have bad or ulterior motives. Some laws align with ethics (laws against murder, for example), some are against practices that are ethically neutral (drug use and prostitution in most cases), and some allow practices that are ethically wrong (tons of corporate law).
Posted: June 30th 2009
SmartLX www
Theology presupposes the existence of a particular god, and attempts to discern its nature and its wishes so that we may please it and serve its purposes. Since the supposed purposes of gods usually involve the behaviour of people, theology often attempts to impose divine authority on morality.
Moral philosophy is a more general field which need not make any such assumptions. It works to formulate, evaluate and improve moral and ethical systems using objective bases and criteria which nevertheless may themselves be challenged and changed. Ultimately it’s a results-based pursuit; that which works sticks.
Legal systems are codified, enforced sets of rules based ultimately on moral philosophy, and in some cases on theology (sharia law, for instance). The field of law works within these systems, pursuing ways to improve the enforcement and the laws themselves.
The difference is that the goal of theology is not human welfare, and neither are laws based on theology rather than moral philosophy.
Posted: June 29th 2009