Heusser Philosophy
100 SG #14a
“Morality differs in every society and is a convenient
term for socially approved habits.”
Ruth Benedict Patterns of Culture (1934)
Distinctions: Relativism is different from the
following ethical claims...
1) Psychological Egoism: Humans act
with their own well being as an end and are incapable of desiring or pursuing
anything else. (e.g., Hobbes)
2) Ethical Egoism: Persons ought to act
in their own self interests. (e.g., Ayn Rand)
3) Skepticism: “Ethical Skepticism” is the view we cannot know whether there are any valid moral principles. There are no discoverable moral truths. (e.g., Agnostics, Skeptics)
Stronger epistemological claim: There are no
discoverable factual truths.
4) Subjectivism: “Ethical Subjectivism” is the
doctrine that ethical statements are simply reports on the speaker’s
feelings though such statements can be objectively true or false. Perhaps it ought to mean
the doctrine that nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so.
5) Nihilism: “Ethical Nihilism” is the theory that there are no absolute moral principles (period!). Recall relativism says there are valid moral principles but they are relative not absolute. (Advocates of Nihilism: Nihilist)
Stronger epistemological claim: There are no factual
truths.
6) Ethical Universalism/Absolutism: Morality
is eternal and unchanging and holds for all rational beings at all times and
places. In other words, moral right and wrong are fundamentally the same for
all people. (Morality is considered different than etiquette).
7) Relativism: states there are no absolute
values at all and that all values are relative to time, place, persons, and
situations. In other words, what is morally right or wrong, may vary
fundamentally from culture to culture. (e.g., Ruth Benedict)
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Relativism: consists of 2 theses:
I) Cultural Relativism: what is considered morally
wrong or right varies from society to society, so that there are no moral
principles accepted by all societies. The
Diversity Thesis
II) Ethical Relativism: all moral principles derive
their truth-value from cultural acceptance. The
Dependency Thesis
Conventionalist Ethical Relativism (relativism):
1) The Diversity and Dependency theses are true.
2) If the two theses are true, then there are no
universal moral principles.
3) Therefore, there are no universal moral principles.
Premise: Eskimos believe Infanticide is OK, but Americans think it is not OK.
Conclusion: Therefore, Infanticide is neither right
or wrong objectively.
Premise: Different societies believe in different moral codes.
Conclusion: Since people disagree, there is no
objective “truth” in morality.
Not Sound. The Premise is about what people believe.
The Conclusion is about what is the case.
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Consequences of Cultural Relativism (if true):
1) We can longer say that the
customs of other societies are morally inferior to our own.
2) We could decide whether
actions are right or wrong just by consulting our society’s standards.
3) The idea of moral progress is called into doubt.