SAMPLE Ethics in America
Chapter 2: Ethical Relativism, Moral Belief Systems and Meta-ethics A. Ethical Relativism Moral relativism refers to many different ideas concerning diversity of moral judgment across time, societies,andindividuals. Relativism isthetheorythatthetruthisdifferentfordifferentpeople. Ethical relativism states thatwhatismorallyrightorwrongmayvaryfundamentallyfrompersontopersonor culturetoculture.Itissupportedbytheabsenceofoneuniversalmoralityinthemodernworld.Culture influences the formation of morality, and culture is a subjective phenomenon; therefore, its products can’t beuniversal.Furthermore,theconceptof moralpluralism suggeststhatthereareseveralvalues which may be equally correct and fundamental, and yet in conflict with eachother.Ethicalrelativism comes in two forms: Personal or individual relativism states that ethical judgments and beliefs are the expression of the moralattitudesofeachindividualperson.Noonepersonismorecorrectthananotherasrightandwrong arebasedonpersonalbeliefs.Moralitydoesnotexpandfurtherthantheopinionoftheindividual.This would be considered an ethical subjectivist view,becausethemoralvaluesexpressedare,ultimately, dependentonahumanordivinewill.Inthisview,individualconscienceistheonlyappropriatestandard for moral judgment. To an ethical subjectivist, all the power of defining an act as moral or immoral belongs to the individual.
Social or cultural relativism states that ethical values vary from one society to another. In order to decidewhatismorallycorrect,onemustconsultthemoralbeliefsofthesocietytowhichtheybelong.It isbasedonthe dependencythesis whichstatesthatwhatismoralisdependentuponhumannature,the human condition, and/or specific social and cultural circumstances.
Ethical relativism can be discussed from two positions:descriptive and prescriptive
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