Preview

Absolutism Vs Relativism Essay

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
470 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Absolutism Vs Relativism Essay
Absolutism and Relativism
Definitions:
Absolutism - is the theory that morality is absolute rather than relative; that is, that there are absolute moral truths to which we must adhere and which particular situations, people, or places do not affect (Jacques P. Thiroux, 2012).
Relativism - those who hold this point of view believe that there are no absolutes in morality, but rather that morality is relative to particular cultures, groups, or even individuals, and further that everyone must decide upon his or her own values and ethics because there are no absolutes (Jacques P. Thiroux, 2012).
Examples:
Absolutism would be condemning a mother who is stealing food for her children because stealing is wrong. Relativism is saying that even though …show more content…
Relativism cons:
• Not all moral views are equal in value
• The meaning of what is good has come down to what is socially acceptable
• Deciding when rules need to be changed may be difficult in different circumstances.
I am not sure if there is an in between to agreeing with both absolutism and relativism. In the case of the mom stealing for food, I see both sides of the story. I agree it is wrong to steal, but I also understand why the mom stole and would not want to condemn her for her actions. In the case of the Islamic practice, I am against animal cruelty and I feel the Islamic culture is wrong for their practice, but I also understand the sacrifice is part of their culture and belief. I honestly do not know which one I agree with the most. I know that there are rules that need to be followed and there is a difference
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sea Otters Decline Research Paper
    • 72 Words
    • 1 Page

    Sea Otters Decline Research Paper

    The lecture explained that the ongoing investigation has shown that predation is the most likely cause of the sea otters decline . There are the following three reasons.…

    • 72 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare and Contrast Absolutism in Fran
    • 942 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Compare and Contrast Absolutism in Fran

    Absolutism is the acceptance of, or belief in absolute principles in political, philosophical, ethical, or theological matters. French absolutism started with Louis XIV and Russian absolutism started with Peter the Great. Louis XIV ruled from 1643-1714 and Peter the Great ruled from 1699-1725. In French absolutism, the rule of absolute monarchs was not all embracing because they lacked the financial and military resources, and the technology to make it so. France and Russia are alike in absolutism that they both sought to control religion and that they got the rich out of paying taxes. They are different in that Louis XIV wasn’t successful in wars, but Peter the Great was.…

    • 942 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Annotated Bibliography
    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Annotated Bibliography

    Moral Relativism is what determines whether the action or conduct is right or wrong. This article states how from a moral absolutist standpoint, some things are always right, while some things are always wrong no matter how much one tries to rationalize them. At the same time, this article defines moral relativism as the belief that conflicting moral beliefs are true. What this means is that what you think is morally right, may not be morally right for someone else. Basically relativism replaces the search for absolute truth. Moral relativism and moral absolutism are means of deriving the morality of the character from The Road. They are tools to use to judge the characters actions, if they can be considered morally correct or morally unethical.…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Shaw: Morality and Ethical Relativism
    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Shaw: Morality and Ethical Relativism

    Ethical relativism is a concept in which most simple minded individuals adhere to. According to definition in the chapter, ethical relativism is the normative theory that what is right is what the culture or individual says is right. Shaw argues that it is not very plausible to say that ethical relativism is determined by what a person thinks is right and wrong. He gives reason that it “collapses the distinction between thinking something is right and it’s actually being right.” Ethical relativism may be justified occasionally. William H. Shaw examines ethical relativism by providing comprehensive examples on why relativism is a weak method in gaining morals.…

    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Moral Relativism Analysis
    • 116 Words
    • 1 Page

    Moral Relativism Analysis

    Moral Relativism is the thought that the moral beliefs held by individuals is influenced and dependent on the culture in which they live in considers tolerable. Hence, what is considered morally appropriate in a single society perhaps is perceived as immoral in a different society. In actuality they both maybe right as they have distinct creators resulting in different laws, diversity, and possibly religious views of each other. Ruth Benedict defends the theory of moral relativism in her article A Defense of Moral Relativism from The Journal of General Psychology. In contrast, William B. Irvine author of Confronting Relativism feels in a few swift examples people can be talked out of their views on moral…

    • 116 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Absolutism vs Relativism Essay Example
    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Absolutism vs Relativism Essay Example

    Absolutism is the view of thinking that there is a single standard in terms of assessments that can be made, and that standard is usually their own. In a clash of cultures, they often see the other culture as simply wrong insofar as it deviates from their own. Relativism sees each culture as correct in its own world and they deny any exhaustive standard in terms of which conflicting cultures can be judged. Philosophical flaws involved with two notions in relation to the concept of tolerance can be illustrated by the example of female genital mutilation practiced in Saudi Arabia. One must be a relativist in order to have a high tolerance for this. In other words, a relativist would say that each culture is right unto itself so forced clitoridectomies can be morally permissible in those countries but what if a Saudi Arabian family living in America is practicing such thing in a clandestine way? Is it right to accept such an act as a relativist? If accepting the absolutist idea (in this case Saudi Arabian genital mutilation would be the absolutist idea) is considered tolerant, is it morally right to be tolerant? Absolutists would maintain that such practices are illegal in America and they should be banned everywhere. That makes them intolerant in theory but it is certain that a majority of people from non-Arabic countries would be against the practice of clitoridectomies, and this makes us intolerant. Should we be labeled intolerant when it comes to being against this kind of practice? Should relativism be deemed better than absolutism? It is hard to say so.…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Theories Of Ethical Relativism
    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Theories Of Ethical Relativism

    Relativism is the idea that one's beliefs and values are understood in terms of one's society, culture, or even one's own individual values. You may disagree with someone and believe your view is superior, relative to you as an individual; more often, relativism is described in terms of the values of the community in which one lives. The view of ethical relativism regards values as determined by one's own ethical standards, often those provided by one's own culture and background. Rather than insisting that there are moral absolutes, moral claims must be interpreted in terms of how they reflect a person's viewpoint; moral claims are then said to be "right in a given culture" or "wrong for a given society." Perhaps one person lives in a culture where having a sexual relationship outside of marriage is regarded as one of the worst things a person can do; in this culture a person engaging in extramarital sex may be punished or even forced to leave. But another culture might have a considerably different…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Intro To Ethics
    • 2258 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Intro To Ethics

    1. Moral Absolutism: claims that there is a single, ultimate answer to the question or problem being posed. Basically an absolutist is convinced that their truth is the only truth.…

    • 2258 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Compare and contrast ethical relativism
    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Compare and contrast ethical relativism

    Ethical Relativism is defined by Judith A. Boss in ´´ Analyzing Moral Issues´´ as, ´The theory that morality is created by people and that moral systems can be different for different people´´ (g2). So unlike the universal theory, ethical relativists believe that morals evolve as people progress. Moral or ethics change depending on what part of the globe someone is in. Many say that ethical relativism promotes distrust among cultures and people, since morals are not viewed as universal. People in general distrust those who have different ideologies. Relativist use one of these three main principles ethical subjectivism, cultural relativism, and divine command theory to support their arguments.…

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Absolutism: The Rise During The Seventeenth Century
    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Absolutism: The Rise During The Seventeenth Century

    Absolutism is a concept that rose during the late sixteenth century and early seventeenth century. The idea of Absolutism consisted of a belief that each country has a divine right from G-d to rule. Within each country, an absolute monarch rose to power. Each absolute monarch was economically in charge of taxes and politically in charge of mobilizing an army. Over time, Absolutism transforms into a social movement in which a king is in total control of his kingdom economically and politically.…

    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Difference Between Absolute And Absolute
    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Difference Between Absolute And Absolute

    Instead absolutism neglects different circumstances along with cultural attitudes, cannot have a clear idea of its morals as no one can state them or knows them, also it is not concerned with the motive or outcome of any actions. However, it does provide a universal vision to measure everything against, creating fairness as everyone would get the same punishment or reward, providing us with a UN Declaration of Human Rights, also in certain circumstances people instinctively have an absolutist attitude; for example cruelty to babies is wrong. On the other hand relativist judgments are always subjective, decreasing the fairness as people might have different losses or benefits because of their actions, people will also disagree on each other’s judgments. This view also stops social development; an example of this would be genocide which should be considered wrong but from a relativist vision it would be analysed depending on circumstances and goals, the holocaust would be an example of this. It is also more complicated to apply than absolutism as there would not be a fixed…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Absolutism Vs Relativism
    • 300 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Absolutism Vs Relativism

    Thoreau would have thought that the government should preserve the liberty of citizens because of all his references to people's freedom. He constantly brings up the fact that he thinks the government shouldn't control everything the people do. He wants the people to be in control of themselves and by doing this, it would make everyone happier which would result in a more calm environment for the government. If the citizens are happy, then the government won't have to deal with all the drama of people not liking how they are being treated or “controlled.” The people would be able to control their individual selves which would makes the government's job easier. The government would have responsibilities but less control of the citizens lives.…

    • 300 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Trifles vs. Story of an Hour
    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Trifles vs. Story of an Hour

    During the 19th century women did not really have much power or say in anything that went on. Women were really the ones that stayed home and took care of the family and tended to the house, while the husbands went out and worked. Women stayed out of the lime light and their opinions were never heard or considered. The short story “Story of an Hour” is about a woman who suffered from a marriage. As a reader we are not introduced to the conflict between the husband and wife. Throughout the story Kate Chopin portrays Mrs. Mallard was actually happy that her husband died and that leaded to her tragic death, “The Joy That Kills.”(Chopin 517). On the other hand the play Trifles, has the same moral as, “the story of an hour” but a completely different outcome. This play is about a couple that does not take any part in the play, and we only learn about them throughout the character’s dialogue. As in the story Mr. Wright is killed by his wife Mrs. Wright. The way the play closes shows us that her reasoning for murdering her husband is more than just an unhappy marriage. Although both plays are harshly critical of the institution of marriage, the somber impact of the more realistic story within “Trifles” provides a more harsh understanding of marriage as opposed to the short story “the story of an hour,” which uses a plot twist to accomplish the intent to surprise the reader.…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Moral Absolutism
    • 1491 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Moral Absolutism

    Moral absolutism is an ethical theory which believes that there are absolute standards against which moral questions can be judged, and that certain actions are either right or wrong. Moral absolutists might, for example, judge slavery, war, dictatorship, the death penalty, or child abuse to be absolutely immoral regardless of the situations or beliefs of a culture that engages in these practices. Moral absolutism adopts the theory that certain actions are moral or immoral regardless of the circumstances in which they occur.…

    • 1491 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Shakespeare shouldn't be compulsory
    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Shakespeare shouldn't be compulsory

    Many students are put off Shakespeare by the old language that does look and sound different to the language used by teenagers today. If we believe that reading makes us better writers, it doesn’t really help if what we are reading is out of date in terms of…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics