ipl-logo

Advantages Of Ethical Relativism

1795 Words8 Pages

My purpose in this essay is to explain and evaluate ethical relativism. Ethical relativism states that there are no moral absolutes, therefore, no moral right or wrong. While this theory does have many advantages to it, such that it can promote acceptance and equality, I have to disagree with this theory. I believe there has to be some moral truths in order for society to not become chaotic. Ethical relativism, or also known as moral relativism, denies that moral values and norms are objective or universal and declares that there are no absolute truths. The truth is relative to the subject and can differ from person to person and from society to society. Ethical relativism states that our morals and values alter and change over time. There …show more content…

While ethical relativism has its advantages, such as that it could create a peaceful society, that is not always the case. Relativism does not accept that certain moral values are universal. Just because cultures differ, that does not mean there are no moral values and norms, like murder or child abuse. Determining what is morally right or wrong is a difficult thing, and each individual has a different belief about it. So, by allowing everyone to follow their own moral code, it could lead to a chaotic society. If you are upset at someone, you can kill that person without any consequences because your moral code accepts murder. There is no real way to keep people safe in this type of society, and each person is responsible for protecting themselves. While ethical relativism can promote people coming together, it can also encourage people to stay away from one another. Because each person does not know what values and norms another person has, in order to keep oneself safe, it causes people to draw away from others. Another reason why I disagree with this theory is because it is self-contradictory by stating that two views can both be right. If it is true that nothing is right or wrong, then why believe this theory if there are no absolute truths? By stating that there are no objective truths, that is an objective

Show More
Related

  • Ethics And The New Genetics The Dalai Lama Analysis

    1414 Words  | 6 Pages

    Our morals and ethical beliefs are something that to most people are taken very seriously and in a lot of individual 's lives they are seen as guidelines to live by. Ask yourself what the world would potentially be like without our morals and ethical values. From a personal understanding of morals and ethics, I believe that the world would soon become a disastrous place. There would be nothing to live by and no right or wrong decisions; also the world would see much more crime and dangerous activity. Think about medicine, and how patients would be treated and the procedures that could be created without ethical and moral background.

    Read More

  • Cultural Relativism Vs Female Circumcision

    102 Words  | 1 Pages

    Our moral beliefs indicate the kind of environment or culture we grew up in. Therefore, if we were born in Somalia, we would believe that it is morally right to go through female circumcision as a rite of passage. However, if we grew up in the western world, then we would not believe in female circumcision. We can therefore see the relativist 's argument of cultural relativism in this case, because if cultural relativism exists, then naturally, morality will also be relative. Additionally, to support his stance, the relativist will also argue that tolerance comes into play when it comes to cultural relativism.

    Read More

  • James Rachel's Argument Of Morality Is Not Relative

    1070 Words  | 5 Pages

    In this prompt the argument that Morality exists is irrelevant, contrary to our thoughts and beliefs. Everyone follows a set of moral rules. Ethical relativists disagree with this belief because, they believe that morals are distinctive from each individual culture. These relativists as described are mixing up moral and cultural distinctions, or are simply not willing to completely understanding the cultures they are standing up for. There are two different types of relativism Ethical, and Cultural, that rely upon the argument of cultural differences, which have flaws that make the argument unsound.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues In Cultural Relativism

    926 Words  | 4 Pages

    The ethics of cultural relativism are different than traditional ethical theories mainly because cultural relativism dismisses morality. Cultural relativism is named so because the ethics of different cultures

    Read More

  • Cultural Differences Argument For Moral Relativism

    1178 Words  | 5 Pages

    ”(p.19) This shows that in the study of ethics, the study of moral relativism to be more specific, the idea of universal truth does not exist. That is to say what is perceived as “good” or “right” can vary form culture to culture, so there is no way to have one universal truth. Two major examples of cultural differences that are often cited in Support

    Read More

  • Moral Relativism In Criminal Justice

    709 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is because of moral relativism’s take on ethical dilemmas, and the view that there are a number of disagreements among people as to the nature of morality. An act can

    Read More

  • Arguments Against Cultural Relativism

    1020 Words  | 5 Pages

    Every society has its own unique cultures in which people will have different ideas of moral codes. The diversity of these cultures cannot be said to be correct or incorrect. Every society has independent standards of ethic within their society and these standards are culture-bound. Cultural Relativism has a perception in which rightness or wrongness of an action depends entirely within the bounds of the culture. This theory opposes the belief in the objectivity of moral truth.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues In The Film Groundhog Day

    1360 Words  | 6 Pages

    The concept of ethics entails systemizing, justifying, and recommending right and wrong conduct. It involves in practical reasoning: good, right, duty, obligation, virtue, freedom, rationality, and choice. Humanity has questioned this concept of ethics and ‘good’ for as long as it has survived, as it deals with real-life issues such as “what is morally right and wrong?” and “how do people ought to act?”

    Read More

  • Cultural Relativism In Social Media

    2321 Words  | 10 Pages

    In other words, “right” or “wrong” are culture specific, what is considered moral in one society may be considered immoral in another, and, since no universal standard of morality that exist, no one has the right to judge another societies custom (Ess, 2009). Cultural Relativism is closely related to ethical relativism, which views truth as variable and not absolute. What makes up right and wrong is determined solely by individual or the society (Ess, 2009). Since the truth is not object, there can be no standards which applies to all cultures.

    Read More

  • Ethical Relativism In Schindler's List

    445 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ethical relativism is the belief that actions are right or wrong depending on the norms of a society. Ethical relativists decide on a moral issue by taking into account societal norms and mob mentality, not deciding what is absolutely right or wrong. The Nazis in Schindler’s List are ethical relativists because they judge what is right or wrong according to their society and the Nazi Party. Since they were young, the Nazi’s were taught to believe that the Jews were animals, not human beings. If the young Nazi’s in training questioned this or did not agree, they were punished and seen as a traitor to Germany.

    Read More

  • Ethics In Criminal Justice Essay

    958 Words  | 4 Pages

    Normative ethics is crucial in decision-making in the criminal justice system and it is based on the notion that one should act morally using reason to determine the suitable way of conduct of self. Ethical relativism is part of normative ethics and it argues that what is morally right or wrong varies in a great deal from one person to another. The standards of conduct and methods of doing things differ from one society to another and there can never be a single standard of conduct for all societies; we must make ethical decisions therefore based on each situation. Relativism requires that we judge an individual who acted immorally by the standards of his culture and not our own (Cook, 1999). It is effective in just

    Read More

  • Ethical Relativism Strengths And Weaknesses Essay

    2607 Words  | 11 Pages

    In general, on a popular argument for ethical relativism would be the untenability of objectivism. It is a persuasive justification for moral relativism because it is the best alternative following the failure of objectivism. The fact that moral objectivists themselves are uncertain, incongruent and unsettled on a standard moral system is the primary catalyst encouraging moral skepticism (IEP, Argument for Moral Relativism). Cultural relativism outlines that “an action is morally right, relative to a culture, just because it is right according to the moral code which is generally accepted in that culture.” Conversely, if “an action is morally wrong, relative to a culture, just because it is wrong according to the moral code which is generally accepted in that culture.”

    Read More

  • Examples Of Utilitarianism In The Movie The Island

    1524 Words  | 7 Pages

    In today’s world, many people tend to have a set of ethical principles which is one of the guidelines for them to follow on. The question is how he or she defines ethics? To answer, Ethics is best defined as knowing what is right or wrong in the action based on the moral principles. Moreover, it is also known as the branch of knowledge that deals with ethical issues. In relation, there are some ethical theories which deal with the ethical issues.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Cultural Relativism

    827 Words  | 4 Pages

    Cultural relativism has a variety of definitions, but the main idea is that a universal code of ethics does not exist--it varies culture to culture. Rachel’s examines cultural relativism in “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism” and argues that there are commonalities of ethics throughout every culture. Rachels sections off his argument to better explain what they believe. In this piece, they argue that cultural relativism is not a proper theory. They argue that it has many major flaws, but they acknowledge that parts of theory have some truth to it.

    Read More

  • Ethics: The Importance Of Ethics In Our Society

    1024 Words  | 5 Pages

    As children, we were taught by our parents that it is wrong to lie, cheat, and steal. As we grow up and enter into the real world with some knowledge of right and wrong, we see, first hand, the importance of ethics as well as its complexity. The role of ethics in our society and in an individual’s life is very necessary because it has a large influence on today, as well as the future. We need to learn about good ethics because they guide our decisions, make us who we are, and determine our future.

    Read More

More about Advantages Of Ethical Relativism

Open Document