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Moral relativism

            
             'All you need is love' (Lennon/McCartney) .
             Situation Ethics was developed by an Anglican theologian Joseph Fletcher ('Situation Ethics' (SCM 1966)) as a result of his critique of Legalism and Antinomianism. Legalism is the idea that there are fixed moral laws which are to be obeyed at all times. Antinomianism is the idea that there are no fixed moral principles but that one acts morally spontaneously. This latter view is most commonly associated with Gnostics and Christians who claim to be able to access a 'superconscience'. Gnostics claimed to access higher knowledge whereas Christians claim to be led into 'truth' by the Holy Spirit. Fletcher rejects Legalism because it cannot accommodate 'exceptions to the rule'. If you reject one aspect of the law you surely reject it all. He also rejects Antinomianism on the basis of existentialist ethics which argues that reality is composed of singular events and moments in time (absolute freedom). Furthermore, that there is a range of views of what should be the case in the world means one has to assume one's own presuppositions to be true before one accepts their critiques of what should be the case (or what Fletcher calls 'absolutising the general'). .
             In advocating a situationist ethic Fletcher argued that it is not the 'primary precept' (rule/principle) which is the bedrock for the 'secondary precept' but quite the reverse. It is in fact the context (the individual and the situation) that is the most important thing as it is the application of an ethical principle that makes an action good or evil. (There can be no 'absolutes' as each situation has the potential to bring about exceptions to the rule.) Within each context it is not the overriding 'primary precept' that is to be followed but the law of love ('to do whatever is the most loving thing' (Jenkins p.47)). In the Christian tradition this may be expressed as, 'Love your neighbour as you love yourself' (Matthew 22:39 The Holy Bible New International Version).


Essays Related to Moral relativism

1. Morality and Cultural Relativism

... could argue against this. They claim that because there is no compelling reason to treat moral disagreements any differently to normal disagreements, that is, there must be a resolution to these differences. Furthermore, Objective Moral Realists attack the implications of moral relativism as a means of undermining it. They point to the realities that would exists in a world were morality was culturally ... relative, for example, there would be no basis on which to prefer love instead of hate. Rather than fostering tolerance and promoting acceptance, it seems that cultural relativism pro...

  • Word Count: 1818
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Graduate

2. Are moral truths relative?

... 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 ... one lives there are some puzzling rebuttals, however, with some rationalization one may arrive at a plausible argument for ethnic relativism. The most common argument against relativism in ...

  • Word Count: 2598
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Cultural Relativism

... on young children, using them for case studies on the long-term psychological effects of mutilation? In a world where no moral court of appeals exists, might make right. The only appeal can be to power" (Holmes, 1984, pp. 17,18). Moral relativism argues that if morality is culturally relative, then there is no independent basis for criticizing thus a more tolerant view on the ... cultures of others is achieved. "Moral Relativism is a common response to the deepest conflicts we face in our ethical lives" David Wong. However this ... argument assumes that tolerance of moral difference is...

  • Word Count: 1109
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Moral Absolutism: Right Or Wrong?

... absolutist's conclusion because I believe that all the premises are true. He arrives at a conclusion through the isolation and criticism of the major concepts to which moral relativism was founded. He boldly states, " relativism is a confused and contradictory doctrine."3 Throughout the article, the absolutist provides detailed, theoretical situations for each of his claims. I believe that through a somewhat ... brief article, the absolutist manages to disprove the concepts of moral relativism. However, relativists would quickly disagree with this criticism. A relativist would read the ...

  • Word Count: 1624
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography

5. Culteral Relativism

... mean it's morally right. This might happen in another culture or in our own culture. In these cases normal does not appear to be synonymous with moral, and the idea of cultural relativism becomes questionable. Cultural relativism illustrates yet another problem. It says that the culture itself defines morality, which is synonymous with normal of course. What if then our own culture decides ... who had something to gain would murder everyone else and the structure of society would collapse. To further falsify the idea of cultural relativism, Rachels illustrates an argument of common mora...

  • Word Count: 1452
  • Approx Pages: 6

6. Moral Reltivism

... (not just believed to be right by its members). Also in our textbook moral relativism is defined as the view that the truth of moral judgments is always relative to a given system of beliefs that itself cannot be proven correct. I assume that cultural and moral relativism are related because moral relativism is relative to a system of beliefs and these beliefs are not universal meaning ... they are uniquely culturally based. Moral relativism is synonymous with ethical relativism. They both state that morality is relative to the individuals personal experience, beliefs or culture and the...

  • Word Count: 1884
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: High School

7. On Cultural Relativism

... infallible, but does imply that cultures are morally infallible. Thus cultures make the moral law, so cultures can do no wrong" (Doing Philosophy, 309). To completely understand cultural relativism it is important to understand the term culture or depends on how you actually view culture. The falseness of cultural relativism can be shown in many different counter examples, but only one well known ... all raised to believe certain things, some things that many others do not even think about or even know exist and this is were the problem lies in cultural relativism. There are different m...

  • Word Count: 905
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. A Critique of Moral Relativism

... J. Beckwith's essay A Critique of Moral Relativism he states that "moral relativists argue there is no absolute right and wrong, but that moral rules are personal preferences or the result of one's cultural, sexual, or ethnic orientation". The second argument that supposedly defends the relativist's opinion that there are no objective moral norms is tolerance and how relativism promotes open-mindedness. Beckwith clearly disagrees ... also invalidates the relativist's argument by proving a disagreement doesn't necessarily mean two individuals differ in opinions about morality and that the...

  • Word Count: 533
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Ethical Relativism

... belief that what is considered morally right or morally wrong depends on the society/culture you belong to. Therefore, what is moral or ethical in one culture may be seen as unethical in another culture. In her article, "A Defense of Moral Relativism," Ruth Benedict states that "Morality is culturally relative. " (79) Morality depends on culture. " What one society approves may be disgraceful ... and unacceptable to another. " (79) An action is morally obligatory for a person if and only if that action is required by the basic moral principles or standards accepted by that person's cult...

  • Word Count: 962
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

10. The Challenge of Cultural Relativism

... than yours that everything they did was just flat out absurd? This is the exact opposite of what a culture relativist would believe. Culture Relativism is essentially the act of not judging another culture's behavior based on the standards of their own culture and that every culture should be ... analyzed individually. This means that no absolute moral values/beliefs can be applied to all cultures, which makes "right" and "wrong" different in every society. What is ... of mindset would eventually "kill" the society because society is based on the interactions of human beings. If we were ...

  • Word Count: 805
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

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