We all have a general sense of moral values and duties. Instinctively, we esteem values such as graciousness, compassion and truthfulness while having contempt for ingratitude, ruthlessness and dishonesty. We are inescapably moral beings by nature.
| Good | Bad |
|---|---|
| Gratefulness | Ingratitude |
| Compassion | Ruthlessness |
| Truthfulness | Dishonesty |
The question is, are such values objective or subjective? For example, is racism or infanticide inherently wrong or is it merely based on personal or cultural preferences? If objective moral values do not exist, then such concepts are only subjective and illusory.
| Objective Moral Values | Subjective Moral Values |
|---|---|
| Real | Illusory |
| Objective | Subjective |
| Obligatory | Non Obligatory |
Experientially, our sense of morality appears to be just as basic as our other senses and unless a very plausible defeater appears, we are fully rational to believe it.
Naturalism is the idea or belief that only natural (as opposed to supernatural or spiritual) laws and forces operate in the world. To the naturalist, human beings are but biological machines. Free will is but illusory and moral values are but socio-biologically evolved behaviours for thriving.
“You can do what you decide to do — but you cannot decide what you will decide to do.”
Sam Harris, Free Will
Naturalists argue that because our sense of morality is a product of evolution, it is illusory. However, this argument clearly commits the genetic fallacy. Notice the absurdity by substituting 'sense of morality' for 'sense of sight'. It is absurd to say that because our sense of sight is a product of evolution, thus it is illusory and the things we observe is not real!
Thus the theist may argue that though our sense of morality may have been a product of evolution, it allows us to navigate the spiritual world, just as our eyes navigate the physical world.
Naturalism itself also looks to be self defeating. For how can our cognitive faculties, being formed by a process of random mutations and natural selection, be relied on to make metaphysically true statements such as "only natural laws and forces operate in the world"? At least the creationist believes that his God given brain is functioning properly, but the naturalist cannot know for sure.
The naturalist should realise that whenever someone does him "wrong", it is no different than a rock falling on his toe. It is meaningless for the naturalist to argue what "ought" or "ought not" be done to him, for he knows there is no obligation for the other party other than the obligation to survive or not be caught. The naturalist should realise that he can make no "right" or "wrong" judgements on anyone for any action. For without an objective standard, who is to say what is "right" or "wrong"?
... there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference ... We are machines for propagating DNA ... it is every living object's sole reason for being.
Richard Dawkins
The problem with naturalism, ironically, is that it is unnatural and goes against our experience of morality. Even the naturalist finds it hard to act on his beliefs.
In divine command theory, the origin of the universe is a personal moral being, thus, providing an objective metaphysical foundation for our sense of morality. Divine command theory explains why we have our sense of morality and why we ought to follow it. If such a foundation does not exist, then our sense of morality is merely subjective, non obligatory and illusory. In other words, if God does not exist, then objective moral values do not exist.
If theism is false, why think that human beings have objective moral value? After all, on the naturalistic view, there's nothing special about human beings. They're just accidental byproducts of nature which have evolved relatively recently on an infinitesimal speck of dust called the planet Earth, lost somwehere in a hostile and mindless universe, and which are doomed to perish individually and collectively in a relatively short time
William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics