Is moral universalism the truth?

Is moral universalism the truth?
According to Streiffer [1], moral universalism is an ethical position that there are some moral values which are agreed by all people, ignoring nationality, culture, religion or other differentiating features. Some famous philosophers, from the ancient Platonists and Stoics, to modern Kantian, Objectivist, believed in moral universalism. Besides, a majority of religions have morally universalist positions. However, at the same time, there are also some famous philosophers, including Immanuel Kant, John Locke, John Stuart Mill and Ayn Rand, opposing moral universalism. Moral universalism has been debated for 4000 years. In this essay, the viewpoints of the supporters and opponents of moral universalism will be mentioned and analyzed.

The supporter of moral universalism, Thomson [2], argued that Universal Declaration of Human Rights issued by United Nation can be read as assuming a kind of moral universalism. For example, referring to UDHR, everybody has the right to life. So murder, wounding, and false imprisonment are immoral and illegal. Therefore UDHR proves that there are some universal moral values which apply to the whole world.

Moreover, Schwartz and Bilsky [3] conducted a series of studies that included surveys of 25,000 people with different cultural types. They discovered that there were 56 specific universal values. These 56 specific universal values included social justice, equality, loyalty, honesty and a world at peace. So this research proves that there are some universal moral values which are agreed by all people, ignoring nationality, culture, religion or other differentiating features.

However, some philosophers have different opinions. Lukes [4] argued that cultural and individual differences are the evidence opposing moral universalism. A majority of Muslim marry more than one wife. However, in some countries, including modern China, polygyny is illegal. People may think that polygyny is immoral and disloyal to women. Moreover, sexual practices, abortion, and capital punishment are the other examples of cultural and individual differences. So they prove that cultural and individual differences are the evidence opposing moral universalism.

What is more, Kellenberger [5] thought that in some distress period, people often abandon some moral values. The consumption of dog meat is an example. Nowadays, consumption of dog meat is considered a taboo in France. However, during the Franco-Prussian War, Paris was besieged from 1870 to 1871, and at that time, some pets, including dogs and cats, were considered as food. Most of the people in Paris might not think consuming dog meat was immoral. It proves that in some distress period, people often abandon some moral values. As the living environment of the people in the world varies, different people have different moral values. Therefore there are no universal moral values.

However, some people may misunderstand the difference between moral values and behaviors. According to Padmanabhan [6], moral values refer to “the differentiation of intentions between those that are right and those that are wrong”. Polygyny and eating dogs are behaviors but not moral values. It is common for difference people having different behaviors due to different cultures, religions, and living environments. But this does not mean that there are no universal moral values. Some people may misunderstand that polygyny in Islam lacks respect for women. In fact, the Quran permitted Muslims to have the right to marry four wives because a large number of men were killed due to frequent wars in the seventh-century. Nobody took care of the women. In order to encourage the Muslims to take care of the widows, they were permitted to marry four wives. However, the man must be confident that he can be scrupulously fair to all his wives and take care of them. Otherwise, he must remain monogamous. Therefore loyalty to the wives is a moral value not only supported by a majority of westerners, but also supported by the Quran, although some Muslims and some westerners may behave differently.

It is believed that universal moral values exist, although different people behave differently due to different cultures, religions, and living environments. Polygyny in Islam and Universal Declaration of Human Rights are the evidence proving the existence of universal moral values. Schwartz and Bilsky’s [3] research shows that social justice, equality, loyalty, honesty, and a world at peace are the examples of universal moral value. Therefore, to conclude, moral universalism is true.

Reference
[1] R. Streiffer, Moral relativism and reasons for action. 5th ed., Routledge, 2003, pp.3-4
[2] G. Harman & J.J. Thomson, Moral relativism and moral objectivity., Blackwell, 1996, pp.23-52.
[3] S.H. Schwartz & W. Bilsky, "Toward A Universal Psychological Structure of Human Values," J. Personality Social Psychology, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 550–562, 1987.
[4] S. Lukes, Moral relativism. 4th ed., Picador, 2008, pp.29-61.
[5] J. Kellenberger, Moral relativism, moral diversity & human relationships., Pennsylvania State University Press, c2001, pp.31-42.
[6] T. Padmanabhan, "Universal values," Nature, vol. 419, no. 6909, p.780, Oct 24, 2002.