1. The argument that our capacity for moral thought requires a divine explanation. The most famous version of the argument is that of Descartes, who held that our conception of perfection required a perfect archetype or origin.

2. The argument that without a divine order and purpose in the universe there could be no such thing as moral truth. Kant thought that the idea of a just lawgiver was a presupposition of moral reasoning. In effect, God is needed for reassurance that the just will flourish and the unjust suffer, without which practical reasoning would be a kind of mockery. The argument has not fared well in the face of naturalistic explanations of our propensity for good behaviour.