HASTINGS RASHDALL’S MORAL ARGUMENT FOR GOD’S EXISTENCE

Hastings Rashdall

 An English theologian, philosopher, and historian

 An Anglican
 Primarily a theologian and secondarily a philosopher
- His aim was to keep philosophy religious and religion philosophical
- He claims he was on the left wing of the Church and on the right wing of the
Philosophers
 Most important work: The Theory of Good and Evil (2 Volumes)

The Ontological Argument had its origin during the Medieval Ages and the Moral Argument
originated during Modern Times starting with Immanuel Kant.

IMMANUEL KANT’S MORAL ARGUMENT

Kant strongly rejected traditional arguments for God’s Existence claiming that God’s
existence is practically (morally) a necessary postulate (assume to be true without proof).

Kant’s Argument:

 Happiness is what all human beings desire.

 Morality is the duty of all human beings (what they ought to do).
 The unity of happiness and duty is the greater good (summum bonum)
 The greater good is ought to be sought.
 The unity of desire and duty (summum bonum) is not possible by finite human beings in
a limited time.
 The moral necessity of doing something implies the possibility of doing it (ought implies
can).
 Therefore, it is morally necessary to postulate.

Shorter Form:

 The Greatest Good of all persons is that they have happiness in harmony with duty.
(Summum Bonum)
 All persons should strive for the Greater Good.
 What persons ought to do, they can do.
 But persons are not able to realize the Greater Good in this life without a SUPREME
BEING (God)
 Therefore, we must postulate a God and a future life in which the Greatest Good can be
achieved.
 Hastings Rashdall did what Kant did not attempt to do. Rashdall offered a rational Argument.

HASTING RASHDALL’S MORAL ARGUMENT: A RATIONAL ARGUMENT

 An absolutely perfect moral ideal exists (at least in our minds).

 An absolutely perfect moral law can exist only if there is an Absolute Moral Mind.
- Ideas can only exist if there are minds (thoughts depend on thinkers)
- Absolute ideas depend on an Absolute Mind (not on individual finite mind
like ours.
 Therefore, it is rationally necessary to postulate an Absolute Mind as a basis for the
Absolutely Perfect Moral Idea.

CONCLUSION:

If an objective Moral Law exists independent of individual minds, it must ultimately

come from a mind that exists independently of finite minds. It rationally necessary to postulate
such a mind in order to account for the objective existence of this Moral Law.