Antinomianism is an non-absolute ethical system that holds to the belief that everything is relative and there are no universal moral laws. The word itself means “against/instead of law.”
Background
The Ancient World
Processism. Formed by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus and refined by Cratylus, another Greek philosopher. It is the simple, and yet complex, belief that everything is in flux and always changing.
Hedonism. Compliments to the Epicureans for this relativistic ethic, claiming that pleasure and pain make up good and evil. Hedonism comes from the Greek word hēdonē, meaning “pleasure,” which is why this ethical system bases morality on the relative pleasures of each individual. Basically, what’s good for you might not be good for me, and vice versa.
Skepticism. Simply put, there are two sides to every issue, and neither side can be absolutely right nor wrong. We can never know for sure which side is right, therefore, we must refrain from passing judgement on anything. Famous skeptics include Sextus Empiricus and David Hume.
The Medieval World
Intentionalism. Peter Abelard of the twelfth century is the first one credited with arguing the idea that the morality of an act is defined by the intentions of the actor. In other words, if one does something with good intention, then the act is right, regardless of the consequences. The same can be said for bad actions as well, giving money to the poor is considered bad if the giver is doing it merely for attention.
Voluntarism. Enter the fourteenth century, where William of Ockham presents the idea that all moral principles are founded in God’s will, and He decides what is right or wrong as He sees fit. In short, right and wrong are such because God wants them to be such, not because they actually are either right or work. God can change morals as He sees fit and we all just have to abide by that.
Nominalism. Also known as the denial of universals, nominalism is the part of Ockham’s arguments that claims universals only live as concepts in our own minds. Individual things, like humans, exist but not the essence of “humanness.” From an ethical standpoint, there is no such thing as justice, just individual acts of justice and good.
The Modern World
Utilitarianism. When Jeremy Bentham expounded on hedonism, he developed the “utilitarian calculus,” stating that people should resolve to do what brings the greatest amount of pleasure for the most amount of people with the least amount of pain. John Stuart Mill went even further by adding a sort of grading system to utilitarianism by rating some pleasures as a higher quality than others, like a superior but unhappy human versus an inferior but happy pig.
Existentialism. The father of modern existentialism, Soren Kierkegaard, believed that our highest duty as Christians went beyond moral law. For example, we shouldn’t kill because God said so, but God might also tell someone to kill as a necessary “leap of faith” (e.g. Abraham was told to kill Isaac). And others, like Jean-Paul Sartre added that ethical acts themselves have no real meaning, taking existentialism closer to antinomianism.
Evolutionism.