Ethical Relativism (Lecture 4) Flashcards
What is another name for ethical relativism?
Cultural relativism
What is Benedict’s argument?
-normality varies from culture to culture
-we base our morals on our sense of normality
-consequently morality varies from culture to culture
-no universal morality
What is the idea behind ethical relativism?
Idea that each society has its own ethics
-what is considered ethical in one society may not be in another
-no such thing as universal ethics
Where does this idea come from?
-Social sciences, specifically anthropologists
What do anthropologists do?
They visit different societies, integrate and observe, and they noticed that different societies have different customs and values
This theory is trying to make a point. What is it?
No one society can dictate what is right and wrong
You cant tell other culture what to do or that their way is wrong
Accept that there are many ethical codes out there
What are the different ways that ethical relativism can be expressed?
Through:
-Sumner’s argument
-Cultural differences argument
What is sumner’s argument?
-if you’re outside of the society you cannot judge what they do inside it
-it is right for them/ works for them
What are the consequences of Sumner’s argument?
-no way to challenge accepted ethics as “the ethics are right by virtue of their existence”
-no room for advancement or progress
-no way to change another society
What is the Cultural Differences Argument?
If two cultures disagree on a certain act, they come to 2 conclusions
- they disagree about the ethicality of the act
-therefore there is no correct ethical position on the act
What are the problems with the cultural differences argument?
-disagreement does not directly imply no solution
-reasoning can be provided to choose the better one (arguing)
-it is possible that one position provides better proof for its stance
What are some problems with ethical relativism as a whole?
-Confusion between customs and ethics
-Confusion between normal and ethical
-How do we define a society or culture? (Purely geographic or can ethics be based on profession, social circle, family, etc)
-How do handle interactions between different societies? (Airplane example)
How is ethical relativism contradictory?
Theory states that there are no universal ethical rules
Also states that ethics are relative to every society and that we cannot tell them what to do, must tolerate them
-That is a universal ethical rule
What happens if we reject ethical relativism?
We do not conclude that our culture’s ethical guidelines are best
We conclude that all guidelines should be rationally examined
