David Keranen writes some very thought-provoking commentary. I appreciate that, as it challenges me to think deeper into a topic. He has quoted Plato’s “Euthyphro” a couple of times (almost like a scripture) in his criticism of a deific origin of morality. I would say that there is a third option that Plato did not consider between fiat and external standards and that is it is simply the nature of the god. Water offers a unique, but superficial, example.

Water is by nature wet. Our definition of “wet” is based on water. When hydrogen and oxygen mix, they produce water. It is neither arbitrary (if it was, then watering one’s lawn would be quite the adventure) nor is it some external standard that compels it (physics only push the atoms together: it does not determine “wet”). It is simply the nature of that combination of molecules.