Q&A: Observance of Commandments and Morality
Observance of Commandments and Morality
Question
I read an article of yours about the obligation to observe commandments, and from what I understood it seems that you meant that the obligation to observe commandments is an axiom. My question is: can an axiom be proven? And if not, where does it come from for us? (That is, what determines what is an axiom and what is not?) And, moving from one related matter to another, how does that article fit with your view that morality has no validity without God? Why is morality not itself an axiom, like God Himself?
Answer
There are two kinds of axioms: ones that are arbitrary and ones that are self-evident. Neither can be proven, but that does not mean that anything whatsoever can be an axiom. You cannot say that an absurd claim is a self-evident axiom.
The axiom that one must fulfill God's will is of the second kind. Obviously it cannot be proven, but it is self-evident. By contrast, the axiom that there is an obligation to uphold something without there being any authority that gives it validity is absurd. The concept of obligation requires a source of validity.
Discussion on Answer
What kind of definition are you expecting?
It isn't a matter of taste, but of common sense. These are questions of truth or falsehood, not questions of liking or not liking.
Is there any way to define what makes an axiom absurd and what makes it self-evident, or is it just a matter of taste?