God and Moral Obligation

This monograph presents a comprehensive defense of divine command theory as the most plausible account of moral obligation. Evans argues that moral obligations possess distinctive features - particularly their overriding authority and universally binding character - that naturalistic ethical theories struggle to explain adequately. The work systematically examines how theistic metaethics, specifically a sophisticated version of divine command theory, provides superior explanatory resources for understanding the nature and grounding of moral obligations.

The author develops his argument through careful philosophical analysis of obligation's phenomenology and metaphysics. Evans contends that moral obligations present themselves to human consciousness as categorically binding requirements that transcend personal preferences, social conventions, or evolutionary imperatives. This experiential datum, he maintains, points toward a transcendent source of moral authority. The monograph engages extensively with secular alternatives, including Kantian constructivism, moral realism, and evolutionary ethics, demonstrating how each faces significant challenges in accounting for obligation's distinctive normative force.

Central to Evans's thesis is his reformulation of divine command theory to address classical objections. He argues that God's commands constitute moral obligations not through arbitrary divine fiat, but because God's essentially good nature provides the metaphysical foundation for moral truths. This move allows Evans to navigate the Euthyphro dilemma by rejecting both horns: moral obligations neither exist independently of God nor result from capricious divine will, but rather flow from God's necessary moral perfection.

The work contributes significantly to contemporary metaethical debates by offering a philosophically rigorous case for theistic ethics within the analytic tradition. Evans draws on recent work in moral psychology, metaethics, and philosophy of religion to construct his argument, engaging with prominent critics of divine command theory including Erik Wielenberg, David Brink, and Sharon Street. His treatment is notable for its charitable reconstruction of opposing positions and its willingness to acknowledge the genuine insights of naturalistic approaches while maintaining their ultimate inadequacy.

The monograph's importance lies in its demonstration that divine command theory remains a viable contender in contemporary metaethical discourse. By showing how theistic commitments can illuminate rather than obscure moral philosophy's central questions, Evans challenges the widespread assumption that serious ethical theory must proceed from secular premises. His work exemplifies how classical theological ethics can be reformulated to address modern philosophical concerns while retaining its essential insights about the relationship between God and morality.