Cultural Differences Argument For Moral Relativism
Philosophy 2200C
Taylor Pearl
Paper #1
The Cultural Differences Argument for Moral Relativism
In this paper I will be discussing the theory of the Cultural Differences Argument for Moral Relativism and also the flaws this theory holds. First I will explain the general idea of Moral Relativism, followed by two examples of cultural differences that are often cited to further explain this theory. After that I will discuss what the Cultural Differences Argument is for Moral Relativism. Next I will describe the logical flaw with the theory of CDA, followed by one example that, with using the same logic that CDA uses, will show this theory as misleading. Finally I will make clear if the logical defect of CDA proves if the theory is false or not.
The General idea of Moral Relativism is that the beliefs and/or activities of an individual, society, etc. are to be understood. As written in James Rachels book Elements of Moral Philosophy, he states, “Different societies have different moral codes”(p. 18) and that “if the moral code of a society says that a certain action is right, then that action is right, at least within that society.”(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
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