Chapter 19 Ethical Relativism 2021 Ethical Objectivism Ethical

Ethical Objectivism Ethical objectivism: the view that some moral standards are objectively correct and that some moral claims are objectively true. Objectivity: Moral standards are objective if they apply to everyone, even if people don’t believe that they do, even if people are indifferent to them, and even if obeying them fails to satisfy anyone’s desires. © 2021

Moral Skepticism Moral skepticism: the denial of ethical objectivism. Two forms: Moral nihilism: the view that there are no moral truths at all. Ethical relativism: the view that there are some moral truths but that they are relative to each person or society. © 2021

Two Forms of Ethical Relativism Ethical subjectivism: An act is morally acceptable just because (a) I approve of it or (b) my commitments allow it. An action is wrong just because (a) I disapprove of it or (b) my commitments forbid it. © 2021

Two Forms of Ethical Relativism (2) • Cultural relativism: An act is morally acceptable just because it is allowed by the guiding ideals of the society in which it is performed and immoral just because it is forbidden by those ideals. © 2021

Advantages of Ethical Relativism (both versions) • Explains why morality is especially for humans • Is scientifically respectable • Easily explains the possibility of and how we acquire moral knowledge • Egalitarian (in a sense)—everyone (or every culture) is as good a judge of morality as anyone else © 2021

Implications of Ethical Relativism If ethical truth is determined by personal opinion or cultural ideals, then it's impossible for one's personal ethical opinions or a culture's ideals to ever be mistaken. Because of this, if ethical relativism is true, the moral views of all individuals or all cultures are all equally good. © 2021

Implications of Ethical Relativism (2) According to relativism, nothing is intrinsically valuable. Things are valuable only because we take them to be. Because of this, it makes no sense to ask whether we are valuing the right things. There's no way for us to be wrong. If ethical relativism is true, moral progress is impossible. Moral views can change but cannot improve. © 2021

Implications of Ethical Relativism (3) Both subjectivism and relativism threaten to generate contradictions. If you (or your culture) are pro-life, then it’s true that abortion is always morally impermissible. If I (or my culture am prochoice, then it’s true that abortion is sometimes permissible. But both can’t be true! © 2021

Implications of Ethical Relativism (4) Contradiction Problem for Subjectivism: 1. Any theory that generates contradictions is false. 2. Ethical subjectivism generates contradictions. 3. Therefore, ethical subjectivism is false. © 2021

Implications of Ethical Relativism (5) Responding to the contradiction problem Insist that moral claims just state our own attitudes. So when I say “Abortion is always impermissible” I mean “I don’t like abortion. ” And when you say “Abortion is sometimes permissible” you mean “Sometimes I like abortion”. This way, we can both be right. New problem: this response seems to make moral disagreement impossible. © 2021

Ideal Observers An ideal observer is a fully informed and perfectly rational version of oneself. According to ideal observer subjectivism: An act is morally right just because I would favor it were I fully informed and perfectly rational. Such a view allows for moral fallibility, moral progress, moral disagreement, and the notion that some moral views are better than others. © 2021

Problems for Ideal Observer Theory Disagreement among ideal observers. The priority problem: If there are good reasons to back the verdicts of ideal observers, then these reasons are what make acts right or wrong. If there are no good reasons to back the verdicts of the ideal observers, then we have no obligation to obey their verdicts. © 2021