With many vehement opponents and rivals, relativism was a popular view in the twentieth century. It has widespread appeal to modern society, which is more and more becoming exposed to the diversity of different cultures, peoples, institutions and schools of thought. It was the exposition of this myriad of factors via advances in anthropology which first led to the growth of relativism. However, it is the interaction of these and other factors that poses some tough questions to the fundamental principals of relativism as we shall see in the subsequent discussion. There are also other problems confronting relativism but it is worthy to note that there are several different forms of relativism and each comes with its own set of queries, weaknesses and strengths. Apart from relativism, there are several schools of thought which deny the main principals of relativism, but usually conflict with each other in fundamental grounds. The discourse on moral truth then, as it is presented in the following reading, centers around relativism and its varied forms, rebuttals to the relativist mindset, and the theories of Kantian ethics and Utilitarianism which oppose the relativist agenda. These topics should form a comprehensive account of the notions that support the claims of relativism: that moral truth is relative. .
Racial and religious tolerance are practical observances for the mixed cultures which are growing in today's nations, most notably America. As people have become more and more aware that their own belief system or government is not the sole arbiter of justice they have also begun to question how moral discord between two cultures could be reconciled. Accordingly, many people have adopted the view that morality is relative to ones culture or ethnicity, a view commonly known as ethnic, or cultural relativism. The other main form of relativism is known as Subjectivism which claims that morality is relative to the beliefs of the subject, or one's self (Shaw, 15).
