Is God a Rule-consequentialist?

Bayesian and total probability arguments

Authors

  • William Hunt University of Birmingham

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24204/ejpr.2022.3697

Abstract

Prima facie, rule-consequentialism as a moral theory would correlate with the concerns of an omnibenevolent being should one exist. Indeed, such a being would be divine, and under the lenses of the three Abrahamic religions, would inter alia, also be omnipotent and omniscient. In this paper, I consider the attitude of such a being to rule-consequentialism in human society. I argue, from a probabilistic perspective, that the evidence of Abrahamic scripture confirms, to a degree, that God would judge rule-consequentialism to be a sound moral theory in different societies. I also consider a similar argument from a secular perspective.

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Published

2022-10-22

How to Cite

Hunt, William. 2022. “Is God a Rule-Consequentialist? Bayesian and Total Probability Arguments”. European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 14 (3):53-70. https://doi.org/10.24204/ejpr.2022.3697.

Issue

Section

Research Articles