Full Name: VILLARIN, Shaira Mae C.

Date of Submission: July 9, 2021

Section: BSHM 1-2D

CHAPTER 5: MORAL PHILOSOPHY AND

REASONING, CULTURAL RELATIVISM,
SKEPTICISM AND SUBJECTIVISM
Explain the distinction between meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics

Morality is a puzzle where we make decisions based on what we see around us. This is
not like science, where we study and experiment to improve our knowledge. Meta-
ethics is a branch of ethics that studies the nature and meaning of moral judgment. It
focuses on questions that are related to the principles of action and practice, such as
what is good and what is bad. These questions are often asked in order to understand
how the assumptions underlying the normative theories apply. Meanwhile, normative
ethics is the study of ethical behavior, and it is the branch of philosophical ethics that
investigates the questions that arise regarding how one ought to act morally. Normative
ethics differs from descriptive ethics in that the latter is an empirical investigation of
people's moral beliefs. In this context, normative ethics is sometimes referred to as
prescriptive ethics, as opposed to descriptive ethics. Likewise, normative ethics differs
from applied ethics in that the former is concerned with 'who ought one to be' rather
than the ethics of a specific issue. Applied ethics, on the other hand, is by definition a
multi-professional subject because it necessitates a specialized understanding of
potential ethical issues in fields such as medicine, business, and information
technology. It is ethics in the context of real-world actions and moral considerations in
private and public life, the professions, health, technology, law, and leadership.

How should the cultural relativist position be formulated?

We live in a fast-changing global society that is increasingly bringing people from

different cultures together. Depending on how sensitive and respectful people are
towards other ethnic groups, this encounter might be positive or unpleasant People will
need to establish a culturally sensitive frame of reference and method of operation if
they are to succeed in today's multicultural, information-based world society. The goal
of this presentation is to help people transition from an ethnocentric, exclusive
worldview to a culturally sensitive mode of operation by explaining what ethnocentrism
and cultural relativism are, how they work, and how to transition from one to the other.
 Full Name: VILLARIN, Shaira Mae C. Date of Submission: July 9, 2021
Section: BSHM 1-2D

What considerations support cultural relativism?

Cultural relativism allows us to understand a culture on its own terms rather than
making judgments based on our own cultural standards. The goal is to promote
understanding of cultural practices that are not typically found in one's own culture.

What considerations oppose cultural relativism?

Many cultures, we believe, have simply been wrong on various points. We now reject all
claims that do not have a solid scientific validity. The bottom line is that simply
disagreeing does not imply relativism. This is not to say that we have proven Cultural
Relativism incorrect. The current point is simply that the Cultural Differences Argument
does not establish Cultural Relativism.

What is the distinction between cultural relativism and liberalism?

Cultural relativism refers to the act of not judging a culture according to our own
standards of what is right or wrong, strange or normal. Instead, we should try to
understand other groups' cultural practices among their own cultural context. Liberalism,
on the other hand, is a political and moral philosophy founded on liberty, consent of the
governed, and equality before the law.

What is moral nihilism?

Moral nihilism is the meta-ethical belief that there is no such thing as moral right or
wrong. Moral nihilism differs from moral relativism in that actions can be wrong relative
to a specific culture or individual. According to traditional views, there are moral
properties or methods that hold objectively in some sense beyond our contingent
interests and obligate us to act morally. However, holding nihilism does not necessarily
imply abandoning moral or ethical language; some nihilists argue that it is still a useful
tool.

What is moral nihilism?

This point of view is known as moral nihilism, and the person who holds it is known as a
moral nihilist. It claims that there is no such thing as morality—or, to put it another way,
that nothing can be morally wrong. Moral nihilists may still do what morality is said to
demand, either because they want to do what is normally done in their society (either
generally or in the specific case), or because acting immorally frequently results in legal
or social punishment. However, the nihilist's stance is not so much about what to do or
not do. Instead, the nihilist simply denies the existence of any fundamental justification
for morality.
 Full Name: VILLARIN, Shaira Mae C. Date of Submission: July 9, 2021
Section: BSHM 1-2D

Does subjectivism reduce morality to individual preferences?

It is possible. It holds that there is no such thing as a universal truth, even within a
culture. The belief that an action is correct if it benefits one's own self-interest. When
two people disagree on an objective fact, at least one of them is incorrect. Other issues
are purely subjective, and the concept of right and wrong appears to be inappropriate.
The question is where morality fits in.

We can all agree that different people have different points of view. But, as is so often
the case in philosophy, the same name—in this case, subjectivism—can refer to a
number of distinct positions. Subjectivism, of course, contrasts with objectivism; and the
central question is whether values are objective and whether there is a discrepancy.

Explain the expressivist position.

According to the point of view we've been discussing, apparent moral judgments reveal
information about the person making the judgment, such as his or her approval attitude.
However, some philosophers practice expressivism, a subtly different form of individual
subjectivism. Expressivism is a meta-ethical theory about the meaning of moral
language. According to expressivism, the primary function of moral sentences is not to
assert any fact, but rather to express an evaluative attitude toward an object of
evaluation. Moral sentences lack truth conditions because the function of moral
language is non-descriptive. As a result, expressivists either deny that moral sentences
have truth value or rely on a concept of truth that does not require any descriptive truth
conditions to be met for moral sentences.

What are objective moral concepts? Can they be used to provide a reply to the
subjectivist?
Objective moral concepts assert that a particular set of practices is true and correct.
And, yes, it can be used to respond to the subjectivist because subjectivism is based on
objectivism: an understanding of what is good and bad.

What is the error theory of morality?

An "error theory of ethics" holds that the average user of moral language makes claims
that are mistaken. Error theory is a morally anti-realistic theory. The concepts of ethics
introduce a faulty, erroneous way of thinking about the world or reasoning in practice.
According to anti-realist viewpoints, there are no mind-independent moral objects or
properties. Moral properties such as rightness, wrongness, obligations, justice, and so
on are psychological or cultural constructs.