Ethical Relativism Essays - 990 Words

Ethical Relativism What is right and wrong is a widely opinionated discrepancy among the human race. It varies between cultures, societies, religion, traditions, and endless influential factors. Ethical relativism is described by John Ladd as the â€Å"doctrine that the moral rightness and wrongness of actions varies from society and that there are no absolute universal moral standards binding on all men at all times. Accordingly, it holds that whether or not it is right for an individual to act in a certain way depends on or is relative to the society to which he belongs†(Pojman, 24). Within the meaning of†¦show more content†¦This basically saying that â€Å"what is considered morally right and wrong varies form society to society†(Pojman,26), meaning that there is no universally morals which are accepted by all societies. This has truth to it because all cult ures differ, what might be right in one country/society/religion may not be morally acceptable in other societies. In some cultures it might be morally acceptable to value slavery, genocide, or female circumcision; even though one may not like or approve of these practices, a cultural relativist must say this was acceptable because these practices are deemed as being acceptable within that culture. The second is the dependency thesis, â€Å"whether or not it is right or wrong for an individual to act in a certain way depends on or is relative to the society to which she or he belongs† (Pojman, 26). This means that there are still going to be â€Å"fundamental disagreements† among societies due to the fact that there are different practices under the same moral principle. Which one is acceptable solely depends on which culture you are from and where it is practiced. Although ethical relativism makes valid points that there are no valid universal moral principles but rather moral principles that are relative to culture or an individual’s choice; it also has objections that in which problems arise from this theory. The idea of Subjectivism; which isShow MoreRelatedCultural Ethical Relativism : Cultural Relativism1186 Words   |  5 PagesCultural ethical relativists believe that morality is dependent on the culture the individual is involved with. While physical laws are universally accepted, morals are objective depending on where someone lives or who they grew up around. Furthermore, morality is formed based on the history of political and social instances in cultural ethical relativism. This theory of cultural ethical relativism is widely accepted throughout the world. It is so popular because there is empirical evidence thatRead MoreEthical Relativism And Moral Relativism962 Words   |  4 Pagesagainst moral relativism as the cor rect way to judge human morality. There are several issues with moral relativism, and I will focus on why moral relativism’s argument is false and also consider the implications of accepting relativism. I will propose an alternative framework for making moral judgments about right and wrong and consider relativist objections. Philosophers often vary in their usage of moral relativism, so, for the purpose of this paper, I will be considering moral relativism to be theRead MoreETHICAL (MORAL) RELATIVISM Essay1022 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿RUNNING HEADING: ETHICAL (MORAL) RELATIVISM Ethical (Moral) Relativism Exploring Kohlberg’s stance on Ethical Relativism JebbehG Ethics in Contemporary Society | PHI101 A01 July 17, 2013 Introduction Presently, Americans are comfortable relating ethics to individuality. Often times, American citizens expresses their right of freedoms to enhance their own sense of ethics or relativity. In defining relativism, moral principles are a matter of personal feelings andRead MoreMoral Relativism And The Ethical Dilemma1615 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction When I first looked at the instructions for this assignment the ethical dilemma I wanted to talk about came immediately to mind. It was a decision I made more than fifteen years ago but I still remember it and had never thought of it in terms of ethics before. When I started this unit and began looking at situations from that perspective I became more intrigued and wondered if any of the readings could help me understand why I came to the decision I did . I once made the decision toRead MoreEthical Relativism Moral Or Immoral1382 Words   |  6 PagesDecember 19, 2014 Ethical Relativism Moral or Immoral Ethical relativism is the theory that holds that morality is relative to the norms of one s culture. That is, whether an action is right or wrong depends on the moral norms of the society in which it is practiced. Moral or ethical relativism is the idea that what is considered moral or immoral depends on the accepted behaviors within the society in which the determination is made. Therefore, what is considered moral or ethical in one societyRead MoreEthical Relativism Is A Problem For A Couple Reasons976 Words   |  4 PagesEthical Relativism is, â€Å"The theory that holds that morality is relative to the norms of one s culture.† Initially the answer to this question seems quite clear, however there is more then simply saying the bible is the inly source of moral code. That is all well and true but the differences in culture make this discussion a little more cloudy. Even though it is less clear cut, Christians cannot be ethical relativists. Even as society differs from c ulture to culture and different views are prevalentRead MoreMeta-Ethical Cultural Relativism Essay737 Words   |  3 PagesMeta-Ethical Cultural Relativism The thesis of meta-ethical cultural relativism is the philosophical viewpoint that there are no absolute moral truths, only truths relative to the cultural context in which they exist. From this it is therefore presumed that what one society considers to be morally right, another society may consider to be morally wrong, therefore, moral rights and wrongs are only relative to a particular society. Thus cultural relativism implies that what is good is whatRead MoreCultural Relativism Is An Important Ethical Theory And James Rachels Argument1091 Words   |  5 Pages Cultural Relativism is an important ethical theory and James Rachels’ argument is significant to provide evidence to prove and disprove the idea. It is important to call attention to and understand differences between cultures. Tolerance is also an valid concept when arguing Cultural Relativism. Regardless of the outcome or viewpoint of the argument it is significant in the fact that it raises awareness for tolera nce and differences between cultures and that no culture is more superior or more correctRead MoreEthical Relativism : Ethical And Moral Relativism Essay1662 Words   |  7 Pages 1. In the article Ethical Relativism, the authors give a quick overview of what ethical relativism is by defining what it is and what its problems and successes are. One thing that is helpful for analyzing ethical systems is looking at the system through the lense of different ethical situations. Since this article lacks this feature, we will be looking at the definition of ethical relativism in the case of Slavery to help show the problems that occur with this system. We will begin by summarizingRead MoreEthical Relativism : Moral Relativism1198 Words   |  5 Pages1.) The concepts of Ethical Relativism teach that societies evolve over time and change to fit circumstances. It exists in our lives and compares to other theories, such as moral nihilism, skepticism, subjectivism, and soft and hard univer salism. Ethical relativism is the theory that holds that morality is relative to the norms of one s culture. That is, whether an action is right or wrong depends on the moral norms of the society in which it is practiced. Moral Nihilism, Skepticism, and Subjectivism