What does it really mean to do the right thing, especially when no divine authority is watching, rewarding, or threatening punishment? To tackle this topic, we’re going to confront Plato’s Euthyphro Dilemma head-on and argue that real morality begins not with obedience to power, but with actions that measurably reduce harm and increase human flourishing!
We’ve spent a lot of time in this episode talking about being salt, about being light, about showing up in the world in ways that actually help people instead of just sounding impressive or righteous. And that all sounds good, until we bump into a question that a lot of people quietly avoid because it’s uncomfortable.
How do we actually know what’s good?
Not what we were told is good.
Not what our tribe says is good.
Not what a preacher, politician, or some holy book claims is good.
How do we know?
Because here’s the thing: people do horrific things while claiming (and believing) that they’re doing good. They always have. And right now, we are watching cruelty, dehumanization, and authoritarian behavior wrapped in religious language—especially Christian language—and sold as “moral clarity.”
So if we’re serious about being salt of the earth, if we’re serious about tangible goodness instead of performative righteousness, then we have to be willing to ask a deeper question: Is morality something we obey… or something we understand?
That question is ancient. And it’s devastating to authoritarian religion.
