Good Essays. Moral Relativism Words 3 Pages. Gowans, C. It is possibly because of differing sociocultural environments, values and beliefs that are prevalent in various regions around the world. Therefore, one is not obligated to obey a law moral relativism essay contradicts morality. Moral Relativism. It assumes that there is no absolute, universal good and evil, there is only relative and local concepts, within specific societies and historical periods, and moral systems.
Moral Relativism and Its Application
Ethical relativism is defined as the point or position that dictates that there are no existing absolute moral rights or wrongs. As a result the correctness of ones action is determined and viewed by the norms in which society accepts them, moral relativism essay. Since correctness of actions depends on the norms that society requires, ethical relativism allows a wide array and variety of practices, values and cultures. However, it also reduced rights, wrongs and truths as relatives. Relativism does not allow absolute ethics to exist Panayot t. It points out that if majority of the people or a decent number believe that something is right, then it is indeed right.
It also moral relativism essay that what may be right for a particular person, may not be right and appropriate to other persons. Since there are no absolute moral truths and ethics that exist, all ethical opinion, lifestyle, points and views are equally right. There are two important classification of ethical relativism: subjective ethical relativism and conventional which is popularly known as cultural ethical relativism. The first kind of relativism defines truth of moral principles to be relative to individuals. According to this kind of relativism, moral relativism essay, what an individual thinks that is rightfully correct for him is in fact right and no one can contest and tell him indifferently.
What is right for someone is completely left for him to decide and he is independent to choose the guiding principles in which he will live his life. On the other hand, cultural ethical relativism defines truth of moral principles moral relativism essay be relative to culture Panayot, This belief states that what is right for someone depends on what culture he is in and belongs. The principles that guide his culture are also the principles that he employs in his daily life. The culture that is being practiced by the society determines the correctness of actions. It serves as the highest authority in which individual beliefs and principles are way inferior.
A prime example of ethical relativism in effect is seen during the early American History. Two hundred years ago, moral relativism essay, slavery is acceptable to the society. The nation allows the use of slaves. Today however, slavery is prohibited as it is a mean of racial discrimination. Society today dictates that every individual must be equal, moral relativism essay slavery is unacceptable in our society, moral relativism essay. Another primary example that can be observed is the practice made by Eskimos. Eskimos have this peculiar and striking practice in which elder members of the clan are allowed to die from hunger and cold.
In our case we believe that this is morally wrong. In fact, euthanasia is a hot topic on debate among individuals which is tied with ethics and morality. The Spartans, which are world renowned warriors and soldiers from the history of ancient Greece firmly believe that being a theft is morally and appropriately correct, however from our practices today we know it is wrong. Many cultures and tribes from the past up to the present, moral relativism essay, had allowed practices and methods in which babies are killed. But since, their culture permits killing of babies, no one is punished for murder. However, our laws today and our civilization would not allow such actions. Another issue that is worth taking is the issue on gender.
Some cultures permit homosexual behavior, while others nation condemn it. In Moslem societies, polygamy is allowed to be practiced, however Christian cultures view it as immoral. Thus, right and wrong are dictated by society. Ethical relativism does support the idea of God, since there is no such thing as absolute set of ethics. Absolute set of ethics can easily be tied up to the existence of God as an absolute divine ruler which tells what is right from wrong. Ethical relativism implies that there is no absolute right and wrong, and no God will determine right and wrong actions. In return the burden of proving if actions are right lies heavily on the shoulder of our society, since our society must determine through integration of observation, logic, emotion, moral relativism essay, patterns, experience and law the correctness or wrongness of actions.
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Relativism does not allow absolute ethics to exist Panayot t. It points out that if majority of the people or a decent number believe that something is right, then it is indeed right. It also states that what may be right for a particular person, may not be right and appropriate to other persons. Since there are no absolute moral truths and ethics that exist, all ethical opinion, lifestyle, points and views are equally right. There are two important classification of ethical relativism: subjective ethical relativism and conventional which is popularly known as cultural ethical relativism. The first kind of relativism defines truth of moral principles to be relative to individuals. According to this kind of relativism, what an individual thinks that is rightfully correct for him is in fact right and no one can contest and tell him indifferently.
What is right for someone is completely left for him to decide and he is independent to choose the guiding principles in which he will live his life. On the other hand, cultural ethical relativism defines truth of moral principles to be relative to culture Panayot, This belief states that what is right for someone depends on what culture he is in and belongs. The principles that guide his culture are also the principles that he employs in his daily life. The culture that is being practiced by the society determines the correctness of actions. It serves as the highest authority in which individual beliefs and principles are way inferior.
A prime example of ethical relativism in effect is seen during the early American History. Two hundred years ago, slavery is acceptable to the society. The nation allows the use of slaves. Today however, slavery is prohibited as it is a mean of racial discrimination. Society today dictates that every individual must be equal, thus slavery is unacceptable in our society. Another primary example that can be observed is the practice made by Eskimos. Eskimos have this peculiar and striking practice in which elder members of the clan are allowed to die from hunger and cold. The high disparities indicate that American society should employ moral relativism in making ethical decisions. The application of a moral principle that has been adopted from other regions cannot function among Americans.
The experiential anthropological findings made by Benedict from her educational surveillance in diverse cultures reveal the inapplicability of outside moral principles in American communities. It is notable that, while the American society has embraced homosexuality largely, other cultures still abhor it as a social abnormality Benedict, The findings also indicate that no society can make the most of its civilizations complete the probable differences in individual performance. The American society should use moral relativism because different cultures appreciate their ability to make decisions according to their situations. Society also likes to take their preferences to advance levels and largely promote own moral principles Velasquez et al.
Therefore, the society can reject decisions, which are incompatible to their moral standards and preferences. The significance of moral relativism within the American society about decision-making remains crucial. The moral principle offers the American populace population to draw attention to issues of moral differences within varying cultures to establish their viewpoint Velasquez et al. The principle sustains debates about different state of morals in diverse cultures during varying historical periods. Americans also ought to apply moral relativism because crucial discussions on moral disagreements normally emerge during different periods. The notable discussions about abortion in America show the significance of moral relativism because people who have varied moral standards can have the opportunity to share their opinions Gowans, The application of moral principles in decision-making remains highly different depending on cultural settings.
There are notable differences between moral absolute principle and moral relativism standard and their application in making ethical decisions. Moral relativism suggests that there are no universally correct moral standards. The principle notes that moral standards vary from one culture to another or from one person to another. The American society should apply moral relativism in decision making because of their uniqueness in cultural backgrounds and individual opinions. Benedict, R. A Defense of Ethical Relativism. Gowans, C. Moral Relativism: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy , Edward N. Zalta ed. Velasquez, M. Ethical Relativism. Need a custom Critical Writing sample written from scratch by professional specifically for you?
certified writers online. Moral Relativism in American Society. We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to our Cookies Policy. Table of Contents. Introduction Moral Relativism and Its Application Conclusion References.
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