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    Cultural - Ethical Relativism

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    Gintoki
    Ethical relativism holds that morality is relative to individuals and cultures, so there are no objective standards of right and wrong. The document discusses two forms of relativism - personal/individual relativism, where morality depends on individuals, and social/cultural relativism, where it depends on societies. It also examines criticisms of relativism, such as that it contradicts common experiences, is self-contradictory in claiming no objectivity, and that through dialogue objective truth can be attained.

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    Cultural - Ethical Relativism

    Uploaded by

    Gintoki
    244 views11 pages
    Ethical relativism holds that morality is relative to individuals and cultures, so there are no objective standards of right and wrong. The document discusses two forms of relativism - personal/individual relativism, where morality depends on individuals, and social/cultural relativism, where it depends on societies. It also examines criticisms of relativism, such as that it contradicts common experiences, is self-contradictory in claiming no objectivity, and that through dialogue objective truth can be attained.

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    2. CULTURAL - ETHICAL RELATIVISM

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    Ethical relativism holds that morality is relative to individuals and cultures, so there are no objective standards of right and wrong. The document discusses two forms of relativism - personal/individual relativism, where morality depends on individuals, and social/cultural relativism, where it depends on societies. It also examines criticisms of relativism, such as that it contradicts common experiences, is self-contradictory in claiming no objectivity, and that through dialogue objective truth can be attained.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    244 views11 pages

    Cultural - Ethical Relativism

    Uploaded by

    Gintoki
    Ethical relativism holds that morality is relative to individuals and cultures, so there are no objective standards of right and wrong. The document discusses two forms of relativism - personal/individual relativism, where morality depends on individuals, and social/cultural relativism, where it depends on societies. It also examines criticisms of relativism, such as that it contradicts common experiences, is self-contradictory in claiming no objectivity, and that through dialogue objective truth can be attained.

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     Ethical relativism is the view that ethical

    values and beliefs are relative to the


    various individuals or societies that hold
    them.
     Thus, according to the ethical relativists,
    there is no objective right and wrong.
     Basic notions of Ethical relativism:
    “What is right for one person is not necessarily
    right for another.”
    What is right in some circumstances is not
    necessarily in another.”
     Personal or Individual Ethical Relativism
    Holds that ethical judgments and beliefs
    are the expression of the moral outlook
    and attitudes of individual persons.
    Thus, for the individual ethical relativists,
    there is no objective standard of right and
    wrong.
    Conclusion: A person has no right to say
    that others are CORRECT or INCORRECT
    since to do so would assume objective
    standard of right and wrong.
     Social/Cultural Ethical Relativism:
    Holds that ethical values vary from society to
    society and that the basis for moral
    judgments lies on these social or cultural
    views.
    Thus, in determining the rightness and
    wrongness of a human act, one must base it
    on the norms of a particular society.
    Conclusion: No society’s view is better than
    any other in trans-cultural sense. Hence, no
    society has the right to say that a particular
    culture of a certain society is wrong.
     The Diversity of Moral Values
     The presence of disagreements on many
    ethical issues or even basic moral values or
    principles prove the point that we cannot
    attain objective truth.
     Critical Appraisal:
    Diversity is necessary. Through diversity of ethical
    schools of thought. (example: one lessens the
    difficulty in determining the morality of a human
    act. One can simply choose among them.
    It is through diversity that one finds unity/beauty.
     Moral Uncertainty
    There is a great difficulty in knowing what
    is morally right thing to believe or do.

    Critical Appraisal:
    The difficulty in knowing what is morally
    right or wrong is not actually RELATIVISM; it
    is SKEPTICISM in the guise of relativism.
    If there is difficulty in determining the
    morality of a human act, does it follow that
    we cannot find the answer/truth?
     Situational Differences
    The situations and life world of different people vary so
    much that it is difficult to believe that same things that
    would be right for one would be right for another.
    Critical appraisal:
    Situational differences tend to equate objectivism
    with absolutism.
    Objectivism is not the same with
    absolutism, though some respects, they
    might imply the same meaning.
    Objectivism: truth can be attained
    Absolutism: moral values or principles have no
    exceptions.
    Objectivism is not the same with
    absolutism, though some
    respects, they might imply the
    same meaning.
    Objectivism: truth can be attained
    Absolutism: moral values or
    principles have no exceptions
     Florentino Timbreza:
    Ethical relativism contradicts common
    beliefs and ordinary experiences.

    Ethical relativism is self-contradictory


    The claim that there is no objective standard
    in determining the morality of a human act is
    OBJECTIVITY in itself.
    Thus, the ethical relativists are objectivizing
    the claim that there is no objective standard
    of right and wrong.
     Andres Salvador
    The Analogy of the Table
    No one has the monopoly of the truth.
    However, objective truth can be attained
    through DIALOGUE or DISCOURSE.
    Note if DISCOURSE is not possible, then
    ethical relativism might be TRUE and VALID.
    In the Medical Context:
    Scientific medical procedures conflict with
    certain religious aspects of ethical relativism.

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