Ethical Relativism

All thinking about ethics, in fact all decision-making or practical reasoning, involves making judgements. E.g., deciding to exercise more involves the judgement that it is good to be in shape, and deciding not to tell a racist joke involves the judgement that telling such jokes is bad. So judgement is unavoidable for anyone who thinks about what they do.

BUT who is to say what is good or bad?

Relativism is the theory that the truth is different for different people (not just that different people believe different things to be true). Ethical relativism is the theory that the truth about what is right and what is wrong is different for different people.

Individual ethical relativism: the theory that right and wrong can be different for each individual, so ethical judgements are only expressions of individual feelings or opinions.

Social or cultural ethical relativism: the theory that right and wrong are just whatever each society or culture says or believes is right and wrong.

Why believe either of these theories?

1. There is massive disagreement about right and wrong, e.g. the abortion debate.

2. There is little confidence that this disagreement will ever go away.

3. It is often very hard to know what is right or wrong.

4. Situations vary so much from place to place and time to time that it is hard to believe that right and wrong stay the same regardless of such differences.

BUT...

1. (See 1 above) Disagreement might result from different situations, not different underlying values or principles. E.g., supposedly some Eskimos used to kill their parents when they got old. Does this show different values, or does it just reflect the harsh realities of living amidst ice and snow?

2. (See 1 above) Disagreement does not prove that there is not a right answer. We might disagree about who will win the Superbowl, but that does not mean we are all right.

3. (See 2 and 3 above) Some truths are hard to find (try taking an upper level physics course). They are still truths.

4. (See 4 above) Situations might vary, but fundamental values need not.

There are further problems with ethical relativism:

Against social/cultural ethical relativism:

1. How do you define a society or culture? Is it a country, an ethnic group, a region, a religion, or what?

2. Does morality change if society changes its mind, so that one day slavery or segregation is right and the next day it is wrong?

3. What if society disagrees, as it does on abortion? How much of society does it take to make something right or wrong?

4. Is it plausible that each culture or society is equally good or bad? Are we really no better than Stalinist Russia, Nazi Germany or the Ancient Romans whose idea of entertainment was throwing Christians to the lions?

Against individual ethical relativism:

1. What is the difference between doing what is right and doing what you feel like? Is this an ethical view at all?

2. Is it plausible that each individual is equally good, so long as each person does what he or she believes in? If so, then the Unabomber and 1960s psycho-killer Charles Manson are on a par with Mother Teresa and General Marshall.

Perhaps the main reason, though, why people support relativism is that they believe we should tolerate different beliefs, and even different behavior. Good for them.

BUT if tolerance is good, then it is good for everybody, not just individuals or cultures who happen to believe it is good. Belief in tolerance is not the same thing as relativism.

AND how tolerant should we be? Should we tolerate our local neighborhood arsonist, serial killer or child abuser?

Here is another question for the relativist: Is relativism true, or only relatively true? If it is absolutely, universally true, then not all truth about ethics is relative, so ethical relativism is false. If ethical relativism is only relatively true, then it is not true for those individuals or societies that do not believe in it. Our society does not believe in it, so it is false for us.

If ethical relativism is false, though, what is the truth about ethics? Who can say what is right and wrong? Stay tuned...

For more on relativism, subjectivism, and objectivism click here.

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