Chapter 5 - Ethical Relitivism & Absolutism

Question 1

What are the two opposing ideas about morality and the existence of moral truths?

Answer 1

1. Judments about right and wrong depend on indivdual or culture (ethical relativism)
2. There is a single moral code that can apply to all people (Ethical Absolutism)

Question 2

What is ethical relativism?

Answer 2

A view that all moral values are relative to indivudal or specific culture?

Question 3

How are ethical beliefs true under relativism?

Answer 3

As long as they are in accordance with moral framework of culture in question.

Question 4

What is ethical subjectivism (type of ethical relativism) ?

Answer 4

The view that the ultimate moral authority is the individual or subject.

What is right for me may not be right for you.

Question 5

What are some problems with ethical subjectivism?

Answer 5

It doesn’t consider the view of others.

Immoral actions are permitted under it (rape, murder, lying)

Fails as theory because it cannot justify beliefs.

Question 6

What is Cultural Relativism?

Answer 6

view that cultural norms determine what is ethically right and wrong.

values of one culture are neither superior nor inferior.

Question 7

What are problems with ethical relativism?

Answer 7

Relativism can make X moral, where X is raper, torture, genocide.

Question 8

What are internal objections to ethical relativism?

Answer 8

1. Moral progress is conceptually impossible
2. Rebelling against moral values of culture would be immoral
3. Cross cultural disagreement is impossbile
4. Person can be a member of various groups, all with different moral frameworks
5. If all moral frameworks are equal, what is stopping someone from going to one that is less strict?

Question 9

What is ethical absolutism?

Answer 9

View that some moral values are universal and apply to all individuals and cultures.

Question 10

What are agreements in favour of ethical abosolutism?

Answer 10

1. EA is a common viewpoint
   - We tend to think that ethical values we accept apply to everyone
2. Practices vs. principles
   - Cultures might have different moral practices but that doesn’t mean they have diff moral principles
3. Disagreements about facts
   - There may be disagreements about the facts are conscerning a particular issue
4. Mistakes in how we judge evidence (logic and reasoning)

Question 11

What are some problems with ethical absolutism?

Answer 11

1. Even if there were no diff in moral view b/w diff socities, that wouldn’t prove EA true.
2. How do we know which moral values are right and absolute?
3. Differences between cultures can be considered bad when in reality they are not.