Effects Of Moral Relativism

Decent Essays
Moral relativism is the philosophical view that basic ethical standards, morality, and positions of what is right or wrong are simply based on culture; therefore, these positions are subject to a person 's individual choices. It also states that no standpoint can be proved objectively superior to any other. In other words, we can all decide what is right for ourselves because there is no foundational or universal set of morals to follow. Moral relativism states that if something is true to someone, than it is true and cannot be disputed by anybody; all people are freely able to choose what is “right” in accordance with their beliefs. These beliefs are solely based on their own thinking which has been shaped by his or her culture and upbringing. …show more content…
First of all, it is clear that having no absolute truths in this world would lead to chaos and confusion among the masses. If people all had their own ideas of what is considered right, it would be impossible to even have a simple conversation with someone since all people’s truths are different. Secondly, it is a counterintuitive idea. Moral relativism strives to put all morals on the same level, but that is impossible. If someone is truly a relativist, does he or she actually believe that a morally wrong action such as rape or murder is okay? Lastly, it makes all values completely meaningless. Moral values such as honesty, kindness, generosity, and justice and the moral value of human life become ultimately meaningless through the eyes of a moral relativist. How can kindness and selfless love be better than cruelty if no actual, external moral standard or truths exist? I believe that there are no true moral relativists in our world, but it is clear that at times, people hold this philosophy. It is important to know why moral relativism is wrong because it is becoming increasingly common and accepted in our world. If one is not aware of moral relativism and its evils, it may come across as the best way to be loving and tolerant of others when it is, in fact, just the

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Subsequently, if a person or culture deems that murder or slavery is morally correct, ethical relativism holds that the actions are morally correct. Further, if one believes that ethical relativism is morally correct and another believes that it is incorrect,…

    • 1340 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As we have accepted this belief we grow more accepting of the idea that there are no morals that are superior to others, nor rights or wrongs, moral relativism. Pojman connects these opposing beliefs by showing that people do not solely believe in ethnocentrism or relativism, but a mixture of both, even though people would rather define themselves as relativists. There is a certain pride that…

    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ethical relativism has been looked at from several different angles by many different people. Louis P. Pojman is one person that has not only questioned, but rejected the concept. Pojman’s argument stands on four objections. His protests are that ethical relativism leads to ridiculous outcomes, gives way to subjectivism, is logically inconsistent, and provides no rational method to resolve conflicts within and between cultures. Pojman theorized that, if the world were to go by ethical relativism, one could no longer make judgements against any society, including their own, because no external or objective truth exists.…

    • 182 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Moral relativism- The idea of moral relativism is one that morality is relevant to your situation, and that you should be accepting other people's morals and cultures. Moral relativism can first be seen in the colonies, mainly by the quakers in pennsylvania, and quakers were also vehemently against slavery, which was another morally relativistic idea. Moral absolutism- The idea that there is a clear right and wrong and that right and wrong is the same for every situation, and the idea has had many impacts on historical events in us history.…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    If individuals had no moral values, everyone would be running around without a care in the world and solely worried about themselves. There would be no awareness for anybody or anything so we would turn into selfish human beings. Ethical relativism is “the doctrine that the moral rightness and wrongness of actions vary from society to society and that there are no absolute universal moral standards binding on all men at all times” (Pojman, 14). There are some moral values worldwide that are just adopted overtime and for that I will support Louis Pojman and what he states about ethical relativism being an incoherent theory, how it is much bigger than just individuals or even societies. I strive to hit on conventionalism and subjectivism, which have their up sides but ultimately diminish Pojman’s argument on ethical relativism.…

    • 1020 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1a. Cultural relativism is the view that no culture is superior to any other culture when comparing systems of morality, law, politics, etc. (AllAboutPhilosophy.org, n.d.) It does not offer a universal right and wrong, but rather offers the notion of morals based on the cultural environment. This diverges from the traditional ethical theories of doing what is right and adopts the ethical theories that are the “lay of the land” as they relate to the local culture in which the dilemma takes place.…

    • 963 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    James Rachels: 1: Moral relativism is the perspective that ethical benchmarks, morality, and positions of right or wrong are culturally based and in this way subject to a man's individual decision. We can all choose what is right for ourselves. Moral Relativists call attention to that humans are not omniscient, and history is loaded with samples of people and societies acting for the sake of a trustworthy truth later exhibited to be more than error prone, so we ought to be extremely careful about constructing vital ethical decisions in light of a gathered supreme case. Absolutes additionally have a tendency to hinder experimentation and abandon conceivable fields of request which may prompt advance in numerous fields, and smothering the human…

    • 1621 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I chose that I am a relativist because I believe that everyone’s moral principle is relative to the person who holds it. Everyone has their own opinion on what is permissible and what is not permissible. Everyone’s moral code can be different than society, for prime example, some people believe that everyone should be treated equally, and some do not. We as individuals cannot say that everyone’s moral value or cultural practice is objectively right or wrong. I am exactly like this, everyone has their own opinion, practices and beliefs, we cannot use our standards to judge another’s morality it is just ethically wrong.…

    • 1164 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Moral Relativism Essay

    • 1045 Words
    • 5 Pages

    One of the first major problem that moral relativism poses for ethics would be that people could abuse it and use it as an excuse for some of the decisions that they make. Perhaps, they are doing something that is seen as immortal to majority of cultures, but they claim that it is moral because they have seen in other cultures that it is morally accepted because it fits the beliefs and or customs that a certain may have. Another issue that may pose a problem for ethics would be that moral relativism leads to absurd conclusion, and changes our ability to deliberate straight and make certain opinions about moral or ethical issues. If there is absolutely no moral law than there is no foundation for…

    • 1045 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Relativism And Culture

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The moral codes claim what is “right” and what is “wrong”. When it comes to cultural relativism, there is no universal truth, however, it does have a cultural code. There are six main points about the topic cultural relativism that may help an individual understand how cultural relativism plays a role into a…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There are many different types of beliefs or the way people choose to judge a statement but the main two that stood out in class was moral realism and moral relativism. It took me a couple times and different ways of reading about the two types to grasp a basic understanding. These are basically two different types of views but they do have similar ideas within them. Before someone can determine which viewpoint makes the most sense, you must grasp a basic understanding of the two. After getting a fundamental understanding you will then be able to determine which view makes the most sense.…

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cultural relativism may be defined as a theory that advocates the idea of subjective morality. To extrapolate, this theory entails that “different cultures have differing moral codes” and these variances are merely arbitrary. Although this is a seemingly sufficient theory, there are key issues with this school of thought. James Rachels suggests several issues with accepting cultural relativism. He criticizes cultural relativism by stating that the theory is absurd as it entails severe consequences if practiced.…

    • 841 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Relativism vs. Objectivism There are two different theories dealing with morality, what is right or wrong, and what is good or bad. The theories discussed will be, ethical relativism and ethical objectivism. Ethical relativism is defined as having no absolute stance on a position; there is no right or wrong. Ethical objectivism which claims that some moral rules really are correct. What would it mean for ethics if there were no absolutes?…

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Philosophy paper on relativism and weather I agree or disagree In the following paper I will be discussing relativism, more specifically cultural and ethical relativism and weather I agree or disagree with that philosophy. Cultural revisits state that “no particular moral or ethical position can actually be considered “right” or “wrong.” Ethical relativism states that …”whether an action is right or wrong depends on the moral norms of the society in which it is practiced”. I agree with ethical and cultural relativism because there is no right or wrong moral code because people and societies have different beliefs.…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In class and in The Elements of Moral Philosophy by James & Stuart Rachels, I learned about the Minimum Conception of Morality (MCM). There are two key elements which make up the Minimum Conception of Morality. The first part states the moral judgments must always have good reasons for the decision. This often is confused with what they feel and not actually facts. The second part is that morality must always be impartial, and take all stakeholders into consideration without being bias.…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays