David Underhill – 08 Sept 04 – p.25-42 (EMP)

The Relativity of Moral Beliefs and Situations (25)

• Oath does not define what action to take in every case; merely rules out some options
• Leaders are decision makers
• Moral Relativism – morals are dependent upon their acceptance by others
• No one is privileged enough to determine what is right or wrong
• Each person must decide what he believes; “When in Rome, do as Romans do”
• We are responsible for our beliefs so before acting we should make sure we are morally justified (not just accepted by the current culture surrounding us)
• Military officers should be morally sound
• To provide society a good example
• Because it cultivates good leaders

Relativism and Objectivism: Are there Universal Values? (Barton Porter) (39)

• Relativist – values reflect our culture only
• Support this by pointing out that various cultures with different and changing beliefs all believe they are right
• Admirable because it is 1) tolerant of other views; 2) allows freedom to determine own views; 3) uncertainty about what values need to be defended
• Objectivist – acts can be defined as right or wrong, and certain purposes as better than others
• Rejects relativist support saying various beliefs just indicate how clearly a culture sees values
• Just b/c scientists thought the Earth was flat and then round doesn’t mean both are right
• Argues diversity between cultures may be just be the appearance, not reality

The Challenge of Cultural Relativism (James Rachels) (29)

How Different Cultures Have Different Moral Codes (29)

• Ex: Eskimos – lived without outside influence for a long time
• When first discovered, they seemed to have little regard for human life
• They shared wives with visitors and neighbors, practiced infanticide, and left the old to die
• Shows how conceptions of right and wrong differ greatly from culture to culture

Cultural Relativism (30)

• Different societies have different morals
• There is no objective standard / universal truth to judge a set of morals with
• It is arrogant to try to judge other cultures

The Consequences of Taking Cultural Relativism Seriously (32)

• We cannot say other’s morals are inferior – could not criticize slavery, anti-Semitism, etc.
• We could decide right wrong based on our society’s culture – stops us from criticizing our own value
• Idea of moral progress is false – changes can’t be for better or worse

Why There Is Less Disagreement Than It Seems (33)

• The belief system may be the cause of what appear to be different values
• For example, if a society thought it was wrong to eat cows because they thought after death your soul stayed in a cow’s body, then the disagreement would be over where the soul goes, not values about whether it is right or not to eat cows

How All Cultures Have Some Values in Common (34)

• Moral rules which are necessary for continued existence will be common to all viable societies

Why Thoughtful People May Be Reluctant To Criticize Other Cultures (35)

• Nervousness about interfering with the social customs of others
• A desire to be tolerant of others
• Do not wish to express contempt towards the society being criticized

What Can Be Learned From Cultural Relativism (36)

• It is dangerous to assume our values are based on an absolute standard
• Keep an open mind
• Herodotus: If anyone were given a choice between which country’s morals they would choose, they would inevitably choose their own country’s morals over any others.