moral relativism
From where is the nature of morality derived? Is it in a universal theory that applies to all or is morality rather distinct to each culture? The former is referred to as the Universalist theory, and the latter is known as the Moral Relativist theory. Moral relativism is the view there is no universal set of moral principles. Rather moral codes are relative to their particular cultures. This theory then goes to say that we cannot judge others with different values, or attempt to make them conform to our own values, because their values are as justifiable as ours from the perspective of their culture. On the other hand, Universalism, the general opposing theory, states that two conflicting moral codes cannot both be right and there is only one that stands out in truth. These two theories present opposite sides of a 'moral spectrum.' By analyzing one of them, moral relativism in this case, we should be able to conclude which theory will hold over the topic of morality. Our inquiry will show its pros verse its cons, and in the end hopefully one will outweigh the other. We will start by outlining the pros, asking what is it that makes moral relativism plausible? In her paper A Defense of Moral Relativism, Ruth Benedict se
But there is no such independent standard; every standard is culture bound," as noted by another author, James Rachels. Communication in such a society would be impossible due to a lack of trust. " Every society develops by discarding the behaviors that it finds 'uncongenial'. This would cause instant death to the wayfarer, but this supposedly was an honorable death. from the shoulder to the opposite flank" with one blow. " Another argument that a relativist may bring up is that ethical beliefs are functionally necessary for their society. some beliefs [are] better to have than the others because they are truer or more justified than the rest. Lastly, people do not want to express contempt for the society being criticized. So then can we even judge our own culture? Well, according to Midgley, not if we can't have our opinions about other cultures. " It must make sense to condemn some practices like slavery or anti-Semitism; therefore, many have been led to reject moral relativism as an implausible theory. Isolationists are quick to get angry when others oppress different cultures, saying such an act is wrong.
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