SAMPLE Ethics in America

‭●‬ ‭Descriptive‬ ‭relativism‬ ‭observes‬ ‭that‬ ‭there‬ ‭are‬ ‭differences‬ ‭among‬ ‭ethical‬ ‭practices‬ ‭and‬ ‭standards‬ ‭of‬‭different‬‭cultures,‬‭without‬‭evaluation‬‭or‬‭judgment‬‭of‬‭their‬‭justification.‬‭It‬‭is‬‭based‬ ‭on empirical fact and observation alone.‬ ‭●‬ ‭Prescriptive‬ ‭relativism‬ ‭goes‬ ‭further,‬ ‭claiming‬ ‭that‬ ‭people‬‭ought‬‭not‬‭to‬‭apply‬‭the‬‭standards‬‭of‬ ‭one culture to evaluate the behavior of another culture.‬

‭The two forms of Ethical Relativism‬

‭Personal or individual relativism‬

‭Social or cultural relativism‬

‭●‬ ‭Moral attitudes of each individual person‬ ‭●‬ ‭No one person is more correct than another‬ ‭●‬ ‭Individual conscience is the only appropriate‬ ‭standard for moral judgment‬ ‭●‬ ‭An ethical‬ ‭subjectivist‬ ‭view, because moral values‬ ‭are dependent on a will, human or divine‬ ‭Personal relativism is often a personal choice, as it can vary‬ ‭from one person to the next. Even so, there are many people‬ ‭who value this viewpoint and base their decisions on it.‬

‭●‬ ‭Ethical values vary from one society to‬ ‭another‬ ‭●‬ ‭Consults the moral beliefs of the society‬ ‭to which they belong‬ ‭●‬ ‭Based on the‬ ‭dependency thesis‬ ‭●‬ ‭What is moral is dependent upon human‬ ‭nature or specific social and cultural‬ ‭circumstances‬ ‭Socially or culturally, the rules can vary. That is‬ ‭why it is necessary to consult your own society's‬ ‭moral system to know what is considered moral.‬

‭B. Support for Ethical Relativism‬

‭Support for ethical relativism usually centers around‬ ‭three reasoned arguments‬ ‭:‬

‭1.‬ ‭The‬ ‭diversity‬ ‭of‬ ‭moral‬ ‭views‬ ‭among‬ ‭people‬‭and‬‭cultures‬‭is‬‭well‬‭documented‬‭through‬‭history,‬ ‭anthropology,‬ ‭science,‬ ‭and‬ ‭other‬ ‭related‬ ‭disciplines.‬ ‭Philosophers‬ ‭have‬ ‭disagreed‬ ‭about‬ ‭the‬ ‭basis of morality since ancient times, and no universal agreement has ever been reached.‬ ‭2.‬ ‭Moral‬‭uncertainty‬ ‭in‬‭ourselves‬‭and‬‭our‬‭society‬‭indicates‬‭that‬‭we‬‭do‬‭not‬‭trust‬‭our‬‭own‬‭judgment,‬ ‭and‬ ‭are‬ ‭constantly‬‭questioning‬‭ourselves‬‭about‬‭the‬‭right‬‭thing‬‭to‬‭do.‬‭Do‬‭we‬‭tell‬‭the‬‭truth‬‭or‬‭do‬ ‭we‬‭protect‬‭a‬‭loved‬‭one?‬‭Even‬‭after‬‭making‬‭a‬‭decision,‬‭we‬‭often‬‭wonder‬‭if‬‭we‬‭have‬‭made‬‭the‬‭right‬ ‭choice.‬ ‭3.‬ ‭Situational‬‭differences‬ ‭between‬‭people‬‭vary‬‭to‬‭such‬‭a‬‭degree‬‭that‬‭it‬‭is‬‭difficult‬‭to‬‭believe‬‭that‬ ‭the‬ ‭same‬ ‭things‬ ‭that‬ ‭would‬‭be‬‭right‬‭for‬‭one‬‭person‬‭would‬‭be‬‭right‬‭for‬‭another‬‭in‬‭all‬‭instances.‬ ‭Some‬‭people‬‭live‬‭in‬‭dire‬‭circumstances‬‭where‬‭basic‬‭amenities‬‭such‬‭as‬‭food,‬‭water,‬‭shelter,‬‭and‬ ‭security‬‭are‬‭practically‬‭non-existent,‬‭while‬‭others‬‭live‬‭in‬‭comfortable‬‭circumstances‬‭where‬‭those‬ ‭necessities‬ ‭are‬ ‭plentiful.‬ ‭Some‬ ‭people‬ ‭live‬ ‭in‬ ‭oppressive‬ ‭societies‬ ‭where‬ ‭basic‬ ‭freedoms‬ ‭are‬ ‭denied,‬ ‭while‬ ‭others‬ ‭enjoy‬ ‭broad‬‭freedoms.‬‭Should‬‭the‬‭choices‬‭made‬‭by‬‭the‬‭person‬‭struggling‬ ‭for‬ ‭survival‬ ‭be‬ ‭judged‬ ‭by‬ ‭the‬ ‭same‬ ‭moral‬ ‭compass‬ ‭as‬ ‭the‬ ‭person‬ ‭who‬ ‭lives‬ ‭comfortably‬ ‭and‬ ‭securely?‬

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