4/11/23 Moral relativism Announcements Warning: we may discuss practices some find disturbing or offensive. Presentations start next week! Those who are presenting on Monday (4/17) will get feedback on their proposals by tomorrow; Those who are presenting on Wednesday (4/17) will get feedback on their proposals by tomorrow, or Thursday (4/13) at the latest. For those who are presenting the last week, proposals are due Wednesday (4/12)– submit through Canvas. I have created additional slots for meetings- sign up if you have questions or wish to discuss projects! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a084ca4af23a2fd0weekly1#/ 1 2 Moral Diversity (MD): The moral codes of some cultures include basic moral norms that conflict with the basic moral norms that are part of the moral codes of other cultures. 3 4 Percentage of circumcised males by country https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/05/26/america ns-truly-are-exceptional-at-least-when-it-comes-tocircumcision/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4d63795f8da1 5 Iceland 0.1 Italy 2.6 Norway 3.0 Germany 10.9 India 13.5 France 14 China 14.0 Mexico 15.4 United Kingdom 20.7 Canada 31.9 United States 71.2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4772313/ 6 1 4/11/23 Why Moral Relativism? Moral relativism 1. There are cases in which cultural differences seem to make a difference to what a person ought to do. It may seem that moral relativism gives the correct analysis of such cases. Discussion prompt: Do you think morality is in some sense relative from culture to culture? How, exactly? Are there any moral norms that ‘transcend culture’? 2. It may seem that making moral judgments about individuals in a culture very different from ours is intolerant. 3. It may seem that making moral judgments about individuals in a culture very different from ours is necessarily paternalistic or imperialistic. 7 8 Moral relativism Moral relativism MR What is right and what is wrong for the members of a culture depends on (is ultimately determined by) the basic moral norms of their culture.* Framing for today’s topic: There is some sense in which morality varies from culture to culture. Our question: does Moral Relativism accurately capture the sense in which morality varies from culture to culture? * To have a general moral belief about the morality of a type of action is to accept a moral norm concerning such actions; A basic moral norm is one that is not derived from other moral norms the person accepts; The ‘basic moral norms of the culture’: the widely shared (accepted) basic moral norms of the individuals who are members of that culture. 9 11 10 Moral relativism: what’s the alternative? Moral relativism: what’s the alternative? Universalism (UT): There are moral norms whose correctness or validity is independent of the moral norms a culture does or might accept, and thus they express universally valid moral standards that apply to all cultures. Universalism (UT): There are moral norms whose correctness or validity is independent of the moral norms a culture does or might accept, and thus they express universally valid moral standards that apply to all cultures. (Contrast with Absolutism: There are some general types of actions that are absolutely prohibited, regardless of the consequences of those actions.) ‘Universalism’ isn’t a specific theory; all the theories we’ve covered to this point are universalist in this sense. Utilitarianism. Kant’s moral theory. Virtue ethics. 12 2 4/11/23 Moral relativism: what’s the alternative? Moral relativism: what’s the alternative? Universalism (UT): There are moral norms whose correctness or validity is independent of the moral norms a culture does or might accept, and thus they express universally valid moral standards that apply to all cultures. Universalism (UT): There are moral norms whose correctness or validity is independent of the moral norms a culture does or might accept, and thus they express universally valid moral standards that apply to all cultures. Question: can these theories say that morality is, in some sense, ‘relative’ from culture to culture? Context sensitivity (CS): The rightness or wrongness of an action (performed in some particular context) partly depends on nonmoral facts that hold in the context in question—facts concerning agents and their circumstances Yes! All the theories we’ve learned so far accept this context sensitivity thesis. (Any plausible moral theory will.) 13 14 The context sensitivity thesis The context sensitivity thesis CS The rightness or wrongness of an action (performed in some particular context) partly depends on nonmoral facts that hold in the context in question—facts concerning agents and their circumstances CS The rightness or wrongness of an action (performed in some particular context) partly depends on nonmoral facts that hold in the context in question—facts concerning agents and their circumstances For each of the following, see if you can come up with some contextual factors that might mean that A and B have different moral requirements/permissions. Note that some of these contextual facts may have to do with facts about the cultural context in which the actions take place. Consider, for two individuals in different (imagined) cultural contexts: Is A required to recycle? Is B? May A permissibly hire a relative on the basis of their personal Is A required to give a large amount of money to a public relationship? May B? library? Is B? May A permissibly drink alcohol to excess? May B? May A permissibly serve guinea pig at a children’s birthday party? May B? Must A invite their parents to live in their home once they can no longer live independently? Must B? 15 16 Clarifying Moral Relativism Exercise CS The rightness or wrongness of an action (performed in some particular context) partly depends on nonmoral facts that hold in the context in question—facts concerning agents and their circumstances To contrast moral relativism with some universalist, contextsensitive alternative, let’s consider some actions which– intuitively– have a different deontic status in different cultural contexts, and see if that appealing to contextual facts can explain that difference. The thing to note is that both moral relativists and universalists can accept the context sensitivity thesis. By ‘deontic status’, we mean whether the action is required, permitted, or wrong. So we’re considering whether, for two cultures, an action is: Required in one culture, but merely permitted in another; Permitted in one culture, but wrong in another. Required in one culture, but wrong in another. So what we’re considering this unit is which theory is stronger: moral relativism, or some universalist, contextsensitive alternative. 17 18 3 4/11/23 Exercise (handout) Exercise 1. Identify an action or practice (P), intuitively, and at first glance, has a different deontic status in two cultures, A and B. To contrast moral relativism with some universalist, contextsensitive alternative, let’s consider some actions which– intuitively– have a different deontic status in different cultural contexts, and see if that appealing to contextual facts can explain that difference. E.g. Frigid napping. 2. What is the deontic status of P in A and B, according to the accepted moral norms of that culture? -Permissible according to the widely accepted moral norms of A. In groups, brainstorm some actions or practices that you think, intuitively– at least at first glance– really do have a different deontic status in two cultures, A and B. -Wrong according to the widely accepted moral norms of B. 3. Are there specific contextual facts that you think make a difference to P’s deontic status in the two cultures? ◦ Societal perception of practice in B (e.g. might upset people). Note: the examples should be ones by, where your sensibilities, there is a genuine moral difference: e.g. wrong in one culture and really right (not merely excusable) in another culture. (Contrast e.g. burning young children as a punishment vs. frigid sleeping.) 19 ◦ -May be less safe to leave unattended babies in B. 4. If ‘no’ to (3): do you agree that, all things considered, P really does have a different deontic status in A and B (as moral relativism would say)? Explain 20 Exercise (handout) Moral relativism: 1. Identify an action or practice (P), intuitively, and at first glance, has a different deontic status in two cultures, A and B. Questions: E.g. Frigid napping. 2. What is the deontic status of P in A and B, according to the accepted moral norms of that culture? Do you think it’s possible- at least in principlethat the basic moral norms of a culture are mistaken/incorrect? Explain. -Permissible according to the widely accepted moral norms of A. -Wrong according to the widely accepted moral norms of B. 3. Are there specific contextual facts that you think make a difference to P’s deontic status in the two cultures? Do you feel uncomfortable saying (or thinking), of some particular culture, that the basic moral norms of that culture are mistaken/incorrect? Explain. ◦ Societal perception of practice in B (e.g. might upset people). ◦ -May be less safe to leave unattended babies in B. 4. If ‘no’ to (3): do you agree that, all things considered, P really does have a different deontic status in A and B (as moral relativism would say)? Explain 21 22 Two more case studies Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Here are two more case studies; we’ll discuss on Wednesday. 23 24 4 4/11/23 Sande society https://globalwomanpeacefoundation.org/2019/07/23/both-sides-of-the-sande-society%EF%BB%BFa-mans-account-of-female-genital-mutilation/ http://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation 25 26 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mende_people 27 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mende_people 28 Penis feeding https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel/sambia-meet-the-tribe-thatdrinks-semen-to-turn-boys-into-men/533m7bv 29 30 5 4/11/23 Moral relativism, FGM, and penisfeeding Can you imagine a cultural circumstance in which FGM is morally permissible? Can you imagine a cultural circumstance in which penis-feeding is morally permissible? If so, why? If not, why not? Does moral relativism give the correct explanation? 31 6
