Absolutism And Relativism

Question 1

What did the Greek philosopher Protagoras believe?

Answer 1

There is no objective knowledge, it depends upon each person

Question 2

What is cultural relativism?

Answer 2

Moral rules are an expression of culture, as each as different attitudes to the same dilemmas

Question 3

What does JL Mackie day about relativism?

Answer 3

Diversity in opinion is evidence for relativism and the need for moral absolutes is only psychological

Question 4

How does Baggini analyse relativism?

Answer 4

• absolutists do not necessarily follow inflexible rules
• relativism does not imply that anything goes
• water analogy- water can be in different states- implying that there is an absolute which just presents itself differently in different situations.
• relativism contains elements therefore of absolutism
• religious ethics, which are seen as absolute, contain elements of relativism as ideas change over time in the bible, and things that are not in the bible cause Christians to have different interpretations

Question 5

What are the strengths of relativism?

Answer 5

• supports diverse cultural expressions
• prohibits moral imperialism
• flexible
• language isn’t neutral, so culture defines language and the meaning of words like ‘goodness’
• “truth is within the crowd and error in the individual”- Louis pojman

Question 6

What are weaknesses of relativism?

Answer 6

• little reason for behaving morally, other than social acceptance
• existence of different views doesn’t make them all equal
• Plato- relativists have to be relative about the truth being relative, so they have to accept that is is right if someone says it’s absolute
• makes us morally infallible- can’t claim nazis or slavery is wrong
• of relativism is universally adopted it becomes absolute- contradictory
• it makes morality merely descriptive

Question 7

What is absolutism?

Answer 7

A moral command or prohibition that is true for all time and place

Question 8

Examples of absolutist moral approaches

Answer 8

Kantian deontology, naturalism, religious ethics

Question 9

Plato’s moral beliefs?

Answer 9

Moral absolutes such as goodness and justice exists in the forms

Question 10

Strengths of absolutism

Answer 10

• not based on preference
• clear guidelines
• unites societies in common values
• concept of human rights is supported

Question 11

Weaknesses of absolutism?

Answer 11

• doesn’t allow historical development
• inflexible and impractical
• doesn’t consider the individual or situation
• intolerant of cultural diversity
• how can we actually determine what the absolute moral code is?