...Authored by: Willie Moore Cultural Relativism challenges our belief in the objectivity and universality of moral truth. Cultural Relativism also holds that that the norms of a culture reign supreme within the bounds of the culture itself. Cultural Relativists believe that there is no such thing as universal truth in ethics; there are only the various cultural codes, and nothing more. There are five claims that are made by cultural relativists: 1. Different societies have different moral codes. 2. The moral code of a society determines what is right within that society; that is, if the moral code of a society says that a certain action is right, then that action is right, at least within that society. 3. There is no objective standard that can be used to judge no moral truths that hold for all people at all times. 4. The moral code of our own society has no special status; it is but one among many. 5. It is arrogant for us to judge other cultures. We should always be tolerant of them. There are three problems Rachel has with Cultural Relativism: 1. We could no longer say that the customs of other societies are morally inferior to our own. 2. We could no longer criticize the code of our own society. 3. The idea of moral progress is called into doubt. Ethical Subjectivism is the idea that our moral opinions are based on our feelings and nothing more. There is no such thing as “objective” right or wrong. Ethical Subjectivism begins as a simple idea-in the words of David Hume, “that...
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...It is important to consider all objective facts when debating moral topics. Cultural Relativism and Subjectivism make it seem like people have different ideas of what is morally right and wrong. The idea that morals vary throughout the world stems from the observations of different cultural practices and personal circumstance. All these differences that have been observed has created a theory that seems to miss some of the larger picture facts of cultures and personal circumstance. Missing these facts makes it difficult to imagine a universal set of standards, but when all the objective points in a situation are taken into account, it is easier to envision an underlying theme of moral standards. Though the perceptions of the world differ, I will show how there seem to be a consistent root of moral truths underlying the individual cultures and circumstances. Cultural Relativism views morality in an interesting manner. Cultural Relativists have observed that different cultures view many topics differently (Rachels, p17). The Cultural Differences Argument has taken this observation and used it to argue that there are no moral truths (Rachels, p19). Cultural Relativism allows for each culture around the world to practice a multitude of traditions without judgement. Good to recognize, right? In most cases, yes. What about when cultural belief, worried about a girl losing her virginity sinfully, urges parents to marry off their daughter? How about when the only solution to poverty...
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...those statements are just expressions of emotion and if it is the truth then is it the truth for everybody or just a select few depending on society and culture, Meta-Ethics Is broken down into two sections and they are called cognitive and non-cognitive and these are two different perspectives on the meaningfulness of ethical language. Cognitivism involves a view that states moral knowledge is possible and therefore all ethical statements can be meaningful because they can be proved whether they are true or false. Non Cognitivism on the other hand involves the belief that there can be no ethical knowledge because ethical language and statements give no factual information and therefore they are not as meaningful as they are not subject to the true or false test and this approach suggests that they are just expressions of emotion and prescriptive recommendations. The naturalistic fallacy is a form of ethical non-naturalism and it was devised by G.E Moore and Moore believed that the term “good” is a simple term like “that’s yellow” and it couldn’t be defined and he also believed that we couldn’t prove moral statements through the use of evidence, Moore also believed that the only way of knowing if something is good or not is through intuition and this makes Moore into an ethical intuitionist and this is in fact described as intuitionism. Intuitionism was also then developed by H.A. Pritchard and his intuitionism states that obligations are as indefinable as good and intuition...
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...Ethical Subjectivism, also known as individual relativism, is the meta-ethical view that there are no objective truths in ethic; moral claims are true or false based upon individuals’ feelings. Ethical theory is a theory of what is right and wrong. This stance on ethics is the opposite of another ethical stance called meth ethical antirealism. Meth ethical antirealism is centered on the idea that because there is no right and wrong actions, just personal preferences there is no such thing as morality. It also states that morals are just a personal preference So, any moral claim may be translated as a reporting of one’s feelings. The best example here in this type is “Stealing things from good friends is wrong” can be rewrite as “I disapprove of stealing things from good friends.” In this case, moral right or wrong is based on the individual’s opinion. In the other word, if two people have different opinions about a same moral questions. Then they might have two opposite ideas. For instance, Katie believes that lying is wrong because when people lied to her, they expect to treat him like a thing not a person. However, Samira thinks that lying is right due to some cases that people can save innocent lives by lying to a bunch of dangerous guys. I can say that both of them are right because they have their own evidence to approve their ideas. There is no certain evidence that moral rules exist. So, moral truth exists, but is not based on universal standards. Nobody can say that...
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...09/09/2013 WHO ARE THEY? WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THEIR ETHICAL POSITION? IN VITRO FERTILISATION ABORTION Four month after a single women got pregnant, having three IVF-treatments with donor sperm, she asks for an abortion. According to the women, she doesn’t need the foetus any longer. She made her point: she is fertile and is able to become pregnant. WHAT IS ETHICS? • Ethics may be defined as a set of moral principles that govern one’s course of action. • Ethics and law are a system of conflict resolution. • The law is the minimum behavior standard. Ethics Trends, Issues & WHAT IS ETHICS? • Ethics is philosophy of morality. • This is why it is sometimes referred to as ‘moral philosophy.’ • The term ‘ethics’ comes from the Greek term ethos meaning character, and we mean by the moral character of a person whether he or she is a good or bad person. MORALITY Everyone has some morality of his or her own ‐ what he or she thinks is right and wrong ‐ and it sometimes happens that people who others see as bad do not see themselves as bad. Each nation has a conception of morality too, a conception which reflects the collective thinking of the majority of the people of the nation. Much of a nation’s morality is stated in laws which prohibit immoral actions such as rape, robbery, or murder. It is questionable whether everything which is illegal is also immoral. GOOD EVIL We’re doing this for years It’s in my interest Hey! This is what...
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...aspect of my worldview is my tremendous sense of ethics. They help to guide my actions and decisions every day. Ethics to me lay the foundations of a person’s character. I feel that a person with good character will by default have a strong set of moral values and their morals will help that person to make ethical choices in their lives. My moral values have been learned from many different influences throughout my lifetime. Numerous influences in my life have been strong Muslim examples that have given me a good foundation of Allah like values. These loving examples have inspired me to live a life of compassion, service, and teaching. I strive to live ethically because I want to please God and lead others by my example. In my experience the ethical choice may not always be the popular choice, but it is the one I can live with. Human Nature has always been interesting to me. It helps me to understand why I and others tend to do the things we do. My definition of human nature is the way we as humans react to situations or stimulus by default. I do not believe that all humans respond in the same way. I feel that we each act or react differently depending on our worldview, background, moral values, and personalities Theism: The belief in one God as the creator and ruler of the universe, without rejection of revelation Atheism: The doctrine or...
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...coincidence. We forget that morals vary from the wide variety of cultures, people, and practically the universe. Morality is merely just good vs. Bad. It is one of the many theories that fall under the Divine command theory. The divine command theory states...
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...outline, explain and critically discuss the strengths and weaknesses of moral relativism. Every choice we make is due to each person’s individual morality and rationality. In this view, Norman (1988: 188) contends that, “Morality is premised on the assumption of individual responsibility.” Morality is concerned with the free choice of rational human beings, and not the non-rational. Louis (2002:28) further adds that morality, “Is just the set of common rules, habbits, and customs that have won social approval over time so that they seem part of things, like facts.” Moral relativism shows that there are no absolute moral rules and each situation needs to be examined individually. Therefore moral relativism is the belief that morality does not relate to any absolute standards of right and wrong but good and bad are dependent on culture and circumstance or judgment paradigm. Thus different moral truths hold for different people from society to society or at different periods in time. The fact that some people see moral relativism as an obvious truth which is undeniable needs no preamble. Needless to mention, others perceive moral relativism as threatening to the moral foundation on which society is founded. According to moral relativists there is nothing that is absolutely, invariably right or wrong, and there is no universal standard by which to measure our character or our actions. According to moral relativism, it is never true to say simply that a certain kind of behaviour...
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...“Is morality relative or are there objective moral truths?” Is Morality Subjective or Objective? Every day, we make decisions that affect our lives and others. Sometimes, those decisions are bigger than other times. Those decisions are sometimes made because the choice is to do something right or wrong. We say that a moral person will make the right decision and the immoral person will make the wrong decision. An example of this is that if I was raised in a culture that says killing is wrong. I am a Naga from Northeast India. Just over 100 years ago, we Nagas were headhunters. Killing was more than tolerated – it was expected. Men would raid other villages nearby and kill other men, bringing back heads. Even children’s heads were special trophies. This sounds very bad, even to me, but if I was born over 100 years ago, I would be okay with it. So is killing others right or wrong? Even in enlightened cultures, wars happen and people kill each other. These questions always come up when people talk about morality. In any debate, the arguments tend to take two extreme sides, which means there is not much middle ground left for the discussions. The slippery slope fallacy is often used to talk about morality. According to Richard Nordquist at about.com, the slippery slope fallacy is “A fallacy in which a course of action is objected to on the grounds that once taken it will lead to additional actions until some undesirable consequence results” (para. 1). In other words, we say something...
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...person who pushes subjectivism to its limit, and takes the extreme position by arguing that moral choices, judgments, and resolutions are so subjective that discussions, contemplation, and deliberations on morality are useless is called a _______ subjectist Cynical A______truth is dependent on the subject’s own experience. Subjective A person who believes that whatever an individual says is right for that particular individual is called a _____ Relativist Hume believed that the only kind of truth that can be known is a _____ Truth Subjective The notion of ethical _________which is often mistaken and confused with Ethical relativism, doubts that any acts are right or wrong. | | Skepticism Moral decisions, determinations, and judgments are acknowledged and established in a cultural context, and these positions are subject to change depending on one’s cultural Relativism ______is the notion that there is no concrete certainty the sphere of knowledge and truth. Relativism An objective______ is a truth that is independent of an observer. Truth _________ is the notion that truth depends on context—the time, place, and the identity of the observer. Relativism The certainty of Descartes’ rationalism leads to the idea of absolute truth In the never-ending debate between relativism and dogmatism, most people agree that the solution for inclusivity is moderation People who argue that ethics and morality are subjective, and moral choices should be...
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... it actually condemns the effort, since the resolve of any situation involving cultural differences must by nature involve infringing on one culture to back down and acquiesce. This is of course moot if the problem is one of a nature that can be compromised on, of course then it wouldn’t even qualify as an issue worth evaluating on this level. So we are left with no method of solving problems with. This means that though there are certain basic rights that most cultures agree on, we are at a loss to enforce them in another culture, or condemn their flouting. Human right as an international issue then dissolves. Ethical Relativism can be utilized to signify many dissimilar perspectives. One perspective which is labeled "ethical subjectivism," is the aspect that the truth of some ethical judgment as referred to a individuals behavior merits on provided the individual regards/ hold true the behaviors to be right or wrong. This...
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...solving problems but instead we are helping our fellow neighbors and this is not just help it is a call from God to help others and form a bridge. An I.T. professional should be committed towards his work and the duties assigned to him to solve problems but also follow the process of vocation. As we take a look at the ethics and moral values we see that the study of ethics is not just involvement of basic instrumental values but also refers to the complete domain of moral philosophy and morality. The terms moral is derived from a Latin word “mores” and the word ethics comes from the Greek word “ethos”. We see the real idea and meaning of these words directly or indirectly refers to the actual belief and practices of people like their way of living, their culture and customs. “We as people are confronted with the difficult task of justifying ethical policies about the novel applications of computer technology even within a community because computer technology generates policy vacuums which means situations in which there are no established policies based on different factors.” (Computer ethics and Professional responsibility –page 33) Moral Relativism: There is a validation procedure of different values and ethics dealing with it. The process of validation of right and wrong of a culture of the individual is done through the...
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...A list of sample questions in philosophy Metaphysics: questions concerning the nature of reality, being, or existence Ontology 0 Why is there something rather than nothing? 1 Is it possible that there was a time before now when absolutely NOTHING existed? 2 What is ultimately (or REALLY) real? [Appearance -v- Reality] 3 Is reality fundamentally one or many? [Monism -v- Pluralism] 4 What, if anything, endures through change? 5 Is reality primarily material or spiritual (or mental)? [“Materialism” -v- “Idealism”] 6 Is the “external world” objectively real, or is its existence mind-dependent? If the latter, what mind is it dependent on? My mind? Your mind? The divine mind? 7 Is there a “supernatural” reality, or is nature “all there really is”? [Naturalism -v- Supernaturalism] 8 What is the difference between necessary and contingent being? Is there a necessary being? Is there only one necessary being? Philosophical cosmology 9 What is the cosmos made of? How is it structured? 10 Did the cosmos come into being? If so, how? 11 Will the cosmos cease to be in the future? If so, what does that mean for us? 12 What are the philosophical implications of scientific answers to cosmological questions? Philosophical theology (and the philosophy of religion) 13 Does God exist? [Theism; Atheism; Agnosticism] 14 What is the nature of God? 15 What about the existence of evil (pain, suffering, and disorder)...
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...the desire to possess more and more seems pervasive—and business, like other institutions, reflects the values, beliefs, and personal goals of our society. Time, Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal, and countless other magazines and newspapers have called attention to unethical practices, bemoaning the “sleaze, scandals, and hypocrisy”1 undermining our moral bearings. In short, there is a great deal of concern about ethics in general, and business ethics in particular. This reading will examine what ethics is and how people decide what is “right” and “wrong.” The word ethics has a number of meanings. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary gives several definitions of ethics, including: ● the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation ● a set of moral principles or values ● a theory or system of moral values 2 ● the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group. Ethics, in all of these definitions, is concerned with right or wrong behavior. This reading focuses on the discipline or study of ethics. 1. THE DISCIPLINE OF ETHICS This discipline consists of the examination and evaluation of actions, social practices, institutions, and systems to determine whether and why they are good or bad, right or wrong, and whether they should be promoted or reformed—in short, whether particular actions, practices, or systems are moral or immoral. For example, ethics examines whether capital punishment is morally acceptable and why. The discipline...
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...object, formal object and natural scope. The material object refers to the subject being observed and finding the root cause on how it exist is its formal object. The natural scope is simply defined as natural reason which philosophers use in search for explanations. Ordinary and profound are two types of knowledge in philosophy. Ordinary knowledge is the foundation or the simplest form of knowledge; knowing a phenomenon. Profound knowledge is the deepest causes of all or determining the causes of a particular phenomenon. In nature of philosophy, a man is eager to fulfill his wisdom, and can be filled with theoretical considerations, which is the satisfaction of intellectual knowledge, or practical reasons, which focused on how to act with moral uprightness. Philosophical...
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