Many people are lead to adopt Ethical Relativism because they believe that it justifies their view that one ought to be tolerant of the different behavior of people in other cultures. However, Ethical Relativism does not really justify tolerance at all. All around the world, there are different types of cultures, which have different ethical values that will be correct according to their cultures. Nevertheless, some people might argue about different cultures that have different moral codes that they can not accept; examples: polygamy and infanticide. On the other hand, Ethical Relativism proposes that we can stop the criticism and be more tolerant with other cultures. To illustrate, we could no longer say that custom of other societies…
Presently, Americans are comfortable relating ethics to individuality. Often times, American citizens expresses their right of freedoms to enhance their own sense of ethics or relativity. In defining relativism, moral principles are a matter of personal feelings and individual preference. As for individual moral relativism, figuring out what is moral and immoral in specific circumstances differs according to the person. On another note, moral relativists have a disbelief in universal truths or common law.…
In a situation where a group of people sneak up on someone and beat them up just for fun can be a moral cultural relativism in two different ways. Being beaten up for fun can be morally wrong or morally right. Ruth Benedict and Louis Pojman’s view on a random violence like this are based off of relativism and objectivism. Moral cultural relativism are the principles that an individual’s beliefs and activities should be understood by others. It is considering a moral in one society, but immoral to another.…
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.…
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…
Ethical relativism is based on the theory that there are different solutions to every scenario. “Relativist morality is based on the assumption that standards of conduct are neither sacred nor etched in stone—different folks need different strokes” (Souryal, 2007, pg 20). Right and wrong is based on social a norm--such could be the case with situational ethics--which is a category of ethical relativism. At any rate, ethical relativism would mean that our morals have evolved, that they have changed over time and that they are not absolute. The relativism theory is meant to deal with every situation on a case by case basis because every action taken could be right or could be wrong. The juvenile…
Moral relativism did not become a prominent topic in philosophy or elsewhere until the 20th century. Moral relativism is the making of an excuse for the action done. Behaviors should not be dismissed under certain circumstances. Moral relativism is dangerous and illogical which can be seen through murders, abortion, and lying.…
Ethical relativism is based on society and also individual’s desires. With that being said ethical relativism varies from culture to culture and person to person. Does this mean that ethical relativism is any less of a valid theory than other theories? We shall find out in the next 3 pages. Joseph Ratzinger once said “having a clear faith based on the creed of the church is often labeled today as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, which is letting oneself, be tossed and swept along by every wind of teaching, look like the only attitude acceptable and today’s standards (www.brainyquote.com).…
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…
In the article “Some Moral Minima”, Lenn Goodman argues that there are certain moral wrongs that are universal. He describes four areas he believes are areas of universal moral wrongs in detail. Morality has been an issue that many societies all over the world have been trying to understand and contend with for a very long time. In this paper I will explain how I agree with Goodman on the belief that certain things are and should be considered simply wrong universally. I will also explore the challenges Goodman presents to relativism by using specific examples of these challenges. I will discuss how I think there should be such universal moral requirements and defend these answers. I will then be concluding that although I agree with Goodman’s argument, the theory of relativism makes one reconsider the logical reasoning of moral minima and if it is possible to have universal moral wrongs accepted by all societies and cultures.…
Over the years, many Christians have put on blinders, turning their heads while shrinking back with words such as, "What can I possibly do by myself?" rather than uniting together in standing for absolute truths. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote from the Birmingham jail, "A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God." We have heard the expression that a person who doesn't stand for something will fall for anything. We have allowed moral relativism to creep in and push us into the proverbial corner. Moral relativism is a belief that there is no right or wrong, no good or evil where rules no longer exist. Dr. Dobson's letter seems to have more relevance today than it did 20 years ago. I believe relativism has had the most impact in regards to healthcare. The Hippocratic Oath seems to have flown out the window. The patient is no longer the top priority…
Moral relativism is often equated with cultural relativism. However, anthropologists cringe at this notion, as defended by Thomas Johnson in his essay, “Cultural Relativism: Interpretations of a Concept.” Johnson argues that true cultural relativism should not “…prevent an educated person from taking a stand on a variety of moral issues…” (Johnson 794). Rather, cultural relativism is a tool for the objective study of a different culture and leads “…to a much stronger notion of moral values, values that can and should be acted upon…” (Johnson 795). This view differs from Bendedict’s moral relativism in that while cultural relativism is a tool from which moral attitudes and actions may stem, moral relativism maintains all cultures are equal, and therefore all cultures and cultural practices must be tolerated. Benedict is not alone in her biased presumptions. In his article, “In Defense of Relativism,” Frank Oppenheim asserts,…
In 2009, the director of the oral-care marketing for the India division of Cottle- Taylor, Brinda Patel, thought of the brilliant idea to expand the oral care system in India. At this time 50% of the Indian population was very uninterested in curing their dental problems and did not see the need to obtain dental hygiene like toothbrushes and toothpaste. However, this did not stop Patel. She still believed that her plan would have a 20% increase in toothbrush unit sales. Her plan was to reward regions that met or exceed sales objectives and to reorganize those that underperformed. Patel’s boss gave her two days to revise a marketing plan that came close to 30% unit sales growth. Patel was determined and confident in doing so.…
Forster’s novel, A Passage to India is based primarily on the root friendship between the English and Indians, Forster the omniscient narrator gives us his point of view of how he experienced India to be a disheartening place at the time filled with stereotyping. I believe he wrote this novel because he was also disheartened by his own kind and their inability to connect and understand the prejudice of the Indians. This novel is very contrasting as Forster’s Eurocentric view of India differs much from the British at the time, as the English abandoned their religion, faith, and were poisoned with vulgarness and arrogance as they treated Indians like nothing but scums beneath them, as they addressed them “pukka”.This is ironic because they’re level of immaturity shows how truly uneducated and the British were, they felt very much above the Indians, so instead they overlooked themselves and turned they’re backs on the Indians, from this moment both races developed hatred, anger and resentment towards each other. However, the British and Indian are far too different from one another.…
Gonsalves, A (2006) People Spending Equal Time On TV, Web. Techweb. 30 Jan 2006. [online] Available: http://www.techweb.com/wire/ebiz/177105434 [date accessed: 18 Nov 2006]…