Philosophy 2030
Class #4
Title:
Introduction to Ethics
Instructor:
Paul Dickey
E-mail Address: pdickey2@mccneb.edu
Nina Rosenstand, The Moral of the Story: An
Introduction to Ethics, 7th Edition, 2013.
Assignment Due Today:
1) Chapter 3, pp. 119-141
2) Portfolio Project #2
Assignment for Next Week:
1) Chapter 4, pp. 171-191
2) Portfolio Project #3
Student Portfolio:
Assignment #3
Actions Based on Absolutist Morality or
Relativism?
In 2-3 paragraphs each, describe two moral choices that you
made in the last few weeks different than ones you have
previously discussed. Evaluate each of these whether they
were the right thing to do because of an absolute, objective
principle of morality – right for all and for all time, or
because of the culture or society we live in at this time. If the
latter, can you identify what society or culture would have
prescribed the opposite action from your own culture?
2
Pop Quiz !!!
Chapter Three:
Two Fundamentally Different
Approaches to Morality
Ethical Relativism
vs
Absolutism (or Universalism)
Various Points of View, 1 of 2
Moral Nihilism: There are no morally defensible
points of view. There is no difference between
right and wrong or “right” and “wrong” are “games.”
Moral Skepticism: We cannot know whether there
are any moral truths.
Moral Subjectivism: Moral values are merely
inner states of a person and thus are not
justifiable to anyone but oneself.
NOTE: Although these views are different, all
three views share a common defect. They
have no way to resolve an issue of how a
person should conduct herself.
Various Points of View, 2 of 2
Ethical Relativism: Moral views can be justified
only within the nature of one’s culture.
Hard Universalism / Moral Absolutism.
There is a universal moral code which applies to
all people, in all cultures, for all times.
Soft Universalism: At some level, there will be
agreement between cultures on certain moral
basics, although the actual expression or
application of those basic values may differ.
Morality Diversity / Moral Universals
Dr. Paul Bloom, Yale
Diversity
https://class.coursera.org/moralities001/lecture/31
Universals
https://class.coursera.org/mo
ralities-001/lecture/33
(13:24)
Relativism
•
Moral or ethical relativism is the view that what is
right or wrong depends upon one’s group or culture.
It is a normative claim.
•
This claim is different than the claim of cultural
relativism that what is believed to be right or wrong
depends upon one’s group or culture based on the
commonly accepted view known as the Diversity
Thesis. Be on guard for someone arguing for the
first claim but only supporting with premises and
evidence the second claim. Cultural relativism is a
factual claim.
•
A moral relativist, however, would ask a question
such as is abortion right or wrong in the U.S.
today? Clearly that is a different question than
whether it is in fact practiced.
•
Clearly, Moral Relativism should be distinguished
from Subjectivism which argues that whether
something is right or wrong depends upon the
individual’s beliefs and basically denies the
application of critical reasoning in ethics.
•
Some textbooks and thinkers do this by suggesting
there are two kinds of ethical relativism:
1. conventional ethical relativism, and
2) subjective ethical relativism
They do this to emphasize that relativism and
subjectivism both rely on human individuals to
establish moral principles. We in this class prefer
to distinguish subjectivism from relativism to
emphasize that relativism is a position that can be
argued with the principles of logic and
argumentation and can avoid the inability to
resolve issues.
Absolutism
•
The opposite of the moral relativist is the moral
absolutist who would argue that fundamentally
only one and only one correct morality exists.
•
What is right for Americans in the 20th century is
what would have been right for all nations
throughout history.
•
Although this view may seem too strong to argue
on the basis of all moral judgments, it does
seem somewhat reasonable in regard to certain
fundamental moral judgments, e.g. slavery,
pedophilia, etc.
Video:
Is Morality Relative?
Note that Moral (or Ethical) Relativism
and Universalism agree that:
• There is right and wrong and we can have agreed
upon standards of determining one from the other.
• All the following views are invalid:
a) Nihilism,
b) Skepticism,
c) Emotivism, or
d) Subjectivism,
none of which cannot provide any basis for common
ground in developing ethical guidelines.
Moral relativism though suggests that:
• There are multiple systems of
morality, and with possible
contradictions between them and
without any means to resolve their
differences.
• Thus, all moral systems should
respect the values inherent in other
systems
• Moral values are relative to time
and place.
What might be good or right about
moral relativism?
•
Although it might not be the only way to foster
tolerance between cultures, it definitely does
encourage tolerance and teaches us to have
restraint from imposing our values on cultures that
do not accept them.
•
It often helps to reduce bigotry and force us to
expand our own understanding beyond previously
held, narrow points of view based on
ethnocentrism.
•
It seems to encourage psychological and
sociological (i.e. scientific) explanations of
behavior that we did not previously understand.
What might be good or right about
moral relativism? (cont)
• It seems to help each of us engage our
fellow humans (who may be outside our
“own group”) with more respect,
admiration, and appreciation.
• It recognizes that though we often think
we make moral judgments that are
universal, in fact the values that we relied
on to make this argument was riddled
with cultural biases and values.
An argument for moral relativism:
P1. Ethical beliefs and practices differ profoundly
from one culture to another.
P2. If ethical beliefs and practices differ profoundly
from one culture to another, then the
fundamental principles governing what acts
are morally right or wrong vary from culture to
culture.
C. Therefore, the fundamental principles governing
what acts are morally right or wrong vary from
culture to culture.
Another argument for moral relativism:
P1. Ethical beliefs and practices differ profoundly
from one culture to another.
P2. We should respect and not judge the ethical beliefs
and practices of others (especially when they have
good reasons for their moral claims).
C. Therefore, the fundamental principles governing
what acts are morally right or wrong vary from
culture to culture.
Thus, we have seen that two
standard and typical arguments
for moral relativism fail.
Now, can we as a class propose a
valid argument for moral or
ethical relativism?
Now, what are some problems
with moral or ethical relativism?
If moral relativism is true,
1.
then we would appear to have no basis to
praise or criticize another culture for
anything they do, including slavery, the
holocaust, genocide.
2.
then it would appear that whatever the
majority of a culture wishes must be moral
and any attempt to improve the culture
(through civil rights, for example) is
actually immoral.
3.
then it would appear that what is moral is
how people behave, not how they say they
behave
Now, what are some problems
with moral or ethical relativism?
If moral relativism is true,
4.
then it would appear that actions become
moral or cease to be moral based on
changing “polls.”
5.
then it would appear that acts become
moral or cease to be moral based on who
you admit into your “culture.” Does the
U.S. have one culture or many? Is culture
a matter of ethnicity, religion, or ???
6.
then it would appear that even the idea of
tolerance might not be a shared common
value
7.
how would we ever know it to be true?
(discuss “problem of induction” or
“proving a negative”)
One argument against moral relativism:
P1. Science once believed that the earth was flat and
thus by a principle of relativism applied to truth
similar to relativism applied to morals, we would
have concluded that at that time, the world was flat.
P2. The world is not flat and was not flat at any time.
C. Therefore, the relativistic viewpoint is fundamentally
flawed whether in terms of astronomy or ethics.
Just as the truth is not dependent upon what is
known at a given time, so morality is not dependent
upon one’s culture.
Now, can we as a class propose a
valid argument against moral or
ethical relativism?