Wait, the Euthyphro Dilemma is more than just a false dilemma?

If we analogize water flowing to a waterfall as representing God, the waterfall itself represents God’s will. Both are of the same essence — water — emphasising their inseparability.

This analogy addresses the Euthyphro Dilemma, which asks: “Is something good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is good?” The analogy demonstrates that God’s will is not separate from His nature

From a classical theological perspective, since God is the epitome of goodness, only good can flow from what God wills because God’s will is inseparable from God’s good nature. Just as a waterfall is water and flows from the same source, God’s will is an extension of who God is — goodness itself.

To suggest that God wills something arbitrarily, as though goodness could be entirely separate from God’s nature, would be like saying that a waterfall could suddenly stop being water and turn into something else entirely.

This addresses the false dichotomy, but are there more flaws in the dilemma?

Upon closer analysis, it also contains both a self-referential flaw and a tautological flaw.

The Self-referential Flaw.

To ask, “Is something good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is good?” is like asking,“ Is something good because goodness commands it, or does goodness command it because it is good?”

This is self-referential: God’s commands are good because they flow from His nature, which is the very definition of goodness. That’s what God is. Goodness.

By doing so, the dilemma inadvertently assumes the very definition of goodness (because God is goodness) it seeks to question, which reveals its internal inconsistency.

The Tautological Flaw

The “because it is good” clause of the question is equivalent to asking, “Is an orange peel an orange peel because it is an orange peel?”

The answer is tautological: it is self-evident and redundant. An orange peel is an orange peel by definition, just as goodness is defined by God’s nature in Christian theology.

When the dilemma is reframed as “Is it good because it is good?” it collapses into a tautology, offering no meaningful insight.

The answer is true by definition and, therefore, redundant

Self-Affirming

The dilemma is self-affirming in that when viewed through a Christian lens, it affirms that God’s will is good because God is inherently good.

The rephrased question — “Is it good because it is good?” — reinforces the theistic claim that goodness flows inseparably from God’s nature, affirming the truth it seeks to undermine.

To Elaborate

Some might claim that the dilemma's self-referential nature doesn’t resolve the deeper issue of defining goodness. However, this criticism overlooks that in Christian theology, goodness is fully defined by God’s nature.

When we say the dilemma answers itself, we’re not avoiding the question of what goodness is; instead, we affirm that goodness is inseparable from who God is. God’s nature is the very definition of goodness.

Hence, the dilemma doesn’t just fail; it collapses into affirming the theistic understanding of God as goodness itself.

Meaning the self-referential nature doesn’t merely expose a flaw but demonstrates that the question is resolved by recognising the nature of God.

Since God is the ultimate standard in Christianity, no further explanation is necessary — just as no one asks, “Why is a triangle three-sided?”

Euthyphro Dilemma applied to logic.

Or, perhaps, one will ask that, which would take us to the Euthyphro Dilemma applied to logic, which can be reconciled briefly by recognizing that logical truths are grounded in God’s rational nature.

Meaning that logic is an expression of His inherent consistency rather than arbitrary commands. Consequently, logical principles maintain objectivity and universality while remaining aligned with God’s sovereign character.

Consider logical principles as the foundational axioms in a mathematical system. They provide the basic, self-evident truths from which all theorems are derived, much like how God’s rational nature underpins and ensures the consistency of all logical principles.

Just as axioms are essential for maintaining the structure and reliability of mathematics, God’s inherent rationality guarantees that logic remains objective and universally applicable.

Hence, these issues can be reconciled via theology.

Feel free to leave a comment, share any objections, or provide feedback. I am happy to respond.

Cheers. 🦋