ISSUE |
NORMISTIC POSITION |
THEOCENTRIST POSITION |
HISTORICAL | | |
The classical dialog: "Is the pious beloved by the gods because it is
pious, or pious because beloved by the gods?" |
The pious is beloved by the gods because it is pious |
The pious is pious because it is beloved by the gods |
More than 2000 years later: "Is something good made or willed
by God because it is good, or is it good because it is
made or willed by God?" |
Something good is made or willed by God or the supreme
because it is good.
Goodness or perfection is in the nature of things |
Something is good because it is made or willed by God.
What is pleasing to the most powerful is good as such |
The order of nature
(li, lǐ or
理 is principle or inner principle,
whole of principles of organization or
structure) |
|
The 'li of nature':
all phenomena in the world are part of the Cosmic Way.
There is a harmonious cooperation of all beings that observe
the rules of their own nature |
The 'laws of nature':
all creatures obey the dictates of a divine lawgiver who has laid
down these laws. Nonpersonal things are said to obey ('His')
physical laws |
SYSTEMATIC | | |
What is essential |
Primacy of the normative:
rules of perfection (goodness, justice, and so on) exist
independently of what a god is/was or does/did:
norms or values are primary, authority is secondary |
Primacy of the (divinely) authoritative:
(divine) authority comes first and the normative is subsidiary to it:
the divine and authority in general are primary,
norms are secondary |
Prime notion |
'The norm(s)' or 'the principle(s)' |
'The god(s)' or 'the Supreme Being' |
Prime proper name (or 'denomination') |
That of (adherence to) a principle:
'Norm', 'Dao' and other names which
have meaning as a noun |
That of a god:
'God' and names which do not have meaning
as a noun |
(Non)existence of one or more gods
or a supreme being |
Irrelevant |
Crucial
(If theistic, attempts to prove the existence of God;
if antitheistic, attempts to prove the
nonexistence of God) |
(Non)existence of one or more independent principles |
Crucial |
Irrelevant |
To realize what? |
A world of good:
a superior state of being in oneself and/or in other
things |
A world of God:
God-realization, God-consciousness |
For the sake of what/whom? |
"For goodness' sake" |
"For God's sake" |
To praise whom? |
To praise the good/just |
To praise God/the gods |
Emphasis in teaching |
To live in accordance with a particular principle,
or the principles in general |
To love or worship a particular god,
or the gods in general |
Way of addressing the adherent |
"We/One should ..."
or "We/One must .." |
"Thou shalt ..." |
General attitude |
Respecting persons |
Authoritarian |
Favored motto |
'Legitimacy and order' |
'Law and order' |
Attitude towards orders and obedience |
"To be convincing is to be obeyed":
conditional obedience |
"To hear is to obey":
"Orders are orders" |
Ethical objection to the other position |
Without a norm/the Norm anything can be commanded |
Without a god/God everything is permitted |
How to scorn an adherent of the antithetical type of
denominational doctrine |
By calling 'im "an antinormist" or "an anormist" in a
sense which is not purely descriptive |
By calling 'im "an atheist" in a sense which is not
purely descriptive (and if a theist oneself)
|