ETHICAL

RELATIVISM
GROUP 2

Patrick Andrey T. Bao

Christian James A. Briones
Jaike Lawrence L. Contrevida
Mark Kayle C. Lomat
Fernand Luis G. Molina
INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY
- Ethical Relativism is the doctrine that the moral rightness and
wrongness of actions varies from society to society
- There are no absolute universal moral standards binding on all men at
all times.

- It focuses on the morality that is relative to the norms of one's

culture. Whether an action is right or wrong depends on the moral
norms of the society in which it is practiced.
- The action may be morally right in one society while on the another
society may be morally wrong.
DISCUSSION OF THE DETAILS ABOUT
THE TOPIC
Subjective ethical relativism (subjectivism)
Conventional ethical relativism (conventionalism)
- Diversity and Dependency Theses
- Tolerance
Criticisms of Conventional and Subjective Ethical Relativism
Examples or Cases
Limitations or criticisms on the theory
Summary of important details
SUBJECTIVISM
It essentially states that the justification of moral principles is based
on the standards or perspectives of an individual’s acceptance
All moral principles are justified by virtue of their acceptance by an
individual agent him- or herself
Subjectivism implicitly assumes moral solipsism, a view that isolated
individuals make up separate universes

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the

continent."
CONVENTIONALISM
All moral principles are justified by virtue of their cultural
acceptance
No universally moral principles but principles that are valid to
culture or individual choice
Focuses on the social nature of morality
We find two distinct theses that are central to conventional
ethical relativism:
- Diversity thesis
- Dependency thesis
CONVENTIONALISM
Diversity thesis
what is considered morally right and wrong varies from society to
society, so there are no universal moral standards held by all societies.
referred to as "cultural relativism"
claims that ethical practices are different among other cultures where a
particular practice is considered right in one culture while the other is
considered wrong
combats the idea of "ethnocentrism" where preconceptions encourages
people to compare cultures to one another rather than describing them
CONVENTIONALISM
Dependency thesis
all moral principles derive their validity from cultural acceptance
individual acts may be right or wrong depending on the nature of the
specific society where they live in
also known as "moral relativism"
morality doesn't exist;
rather what is right or wrong must be seen in a context that depends on
the goals, wants, beliefs, history, and environment of the society
CONVENTIONALISM
Tolerance
- Conventional ethical relativists often acknowledge the theory's support for tolerance as another
virtue.
- "We shall arrive at a more realistic social faith, accepting as grounds of hope and as new bases for
tolerance the coexisting and equally valid patterns of life which mankind has created for itself from
the raw materials of existence.” -Ruth Benedict

- One notable theory about tolerance by anthropologist Melville Herskovits

(1) If morality is relative to its culture, then there is no independent basis for criticizing the
morality of any other culture but one’s own.
(2) If there is no independent way of criticizing any other culture, then we ought to be tolerant
of the moralities of other cultures.
(3) Morality is relative to its culture.
(4) Therefore, we ought to be tolerant of the moralities of other cultures.
CRITICISMS OF CONVENTIONAL ETHICAL
RELATIVISM
Conventional Relativism can undermine values
With conventionalism:
social problems such as racism is as equal as their opposite
moral reformers are technically wrong since the truth is with the crowd.
undermines the close connection between law and morality
Conventional Relativism leads to subjectivism
We cannot stop the transition of conventionalism to subjectivism as the moral
principle that was chosen is dependent on our decision.
If an individual belongs to several societies with different opposing values then he/she
has choices to pick, the issue is that it often yields unexpected consequences.
Conventionalism appears to reduce to subjectivism, and subjectivism leads to moral
solipsism and ultimately the end of morality.
CRITICISMS OF CONVENTIONAL ETHICAL
RELATIVISM
Moral Diversity Is Exaggerated
As one can see the many similarities between the moral codes of different cultures
supports the idea that moral diversity is not as severe as relativists assert.
The whole issue of moral diversity has nothing to do with the truth or untruth of
conventionalism.

Weak Dependency Does Not imply Relativism

Conventionalism concerns the dependency thesis:
Weak dependency - it depends on one's culture how moral principles are
applied.
Strong dependency - the moral principle themselves depends on one's culture
CRITICISMS OF CONVENTIONAL ETHICAL
RELATIVISM
Weak Dependency Does Not imply Relativism
Weak dependence between moral principles does not support ethical relativism.
There may still be a set of universal moral standards that are recognized by most
cultures despite this weak dependence on nonmoral factors. A culture could choose
to ignore these standards, but only at its own peril.
The stronger thesis must be upheld by ethical relativist.
The Indeterminacy of Language
Willard V. Quine (1908–2000)
According to this thesis, a culture's language fundamentally shapes its
reality and isolates it from other languages and cultures. This seems to
suggest that each society's moral standards are dependent on its
particular, linguistically based culture.
CRITICISMS OF SUBJECTIVE ETHICAL RELATIVISM
Morality reduces to something like aesthetic tastes about which
there can be neither argument nor interpersonal judgment.

Subjectivism rests neither on social agreement of principle (as the

conventionalist maintains) nor on an objectively independent set of
norms that binds all people for the common good.

Subjective ethical relativism is incoherent, and it thus seems that the

only plausible view of ethical relativism must be one that grounds
morality in the group or culture.
 EXAMPLES OR SAMPLE CASES
Subjective Ethical Relativism sample cases

Hemmingway's view about bull fighting is morally right

he feels fine at the same time feels life and death
after the event he felt sad but fine

Infamous killer Ted Bundy to his murders, statements why he kill

He learned moral judgement are value judgement, which are subjective
His only obstacle to freedom is the value judgment of respecting the rights of others

Lois Pojman's subjectivism approach to his student's test mark

chooses to mark F even comments by him are about how great there works were
students realizes they are not being subjective to the situation

Subjective Ethical Relativism sample cases

Cheating on exams
Joe thinks that cheating on exams is morally acceptable when one needs a good grade,
while Mary does not think that cheating is ever morally acceptable
Cheating is wrong FOR Mary, but is not wrong FOR Joe.

Abortion
When a mother's life is in danger for an abortion, then it is morally wrong if the mother
BELIEVED that abortion is always morally wrong.

Hitler's genocide is as moral as Mother Theresa's charity work

If both are accepted in their individual culture then both are legitimate and morally right
Conventional Ethical Relativism sample cases

Practice of cannibalism in some tribes in the world

The practice of cannibalism in some tribes is their way of survival.
In some tribes, cannibalism is a part of the ritual religious sacrifice of war captives and
other victims.

Female Genitalia Mutilation

Some tribes will only consider a girl's transition into womanhood after the process of FGM
(Female Genitalia Mutilation)

Food choices
certain cultures eat different foods in different meals
breakfast in the United States is markedly different from breakfast in Japan or Colombia.

Conventional Ethical Relativism sample cases

Sacrificial Rituals
a religious ceremony wherein an offering is made to a deity
such as capacocha ritual, an important Inca ritual involving sacrificing of child

LIMITATIONS OR CRITICISMS ON THE

THEORY

It points out the ambiguous nature of omitting the idea of moral

progress, and the position of moral reformers.
If ethical relativism is true and there are no objective moral standards
then there cannot be moral progress.
Ethical Relativism would mean that even the most practices, such as
slavery and the physical abuse of women, are “right” if they are
countenanced by the standards of the relevant society.
 SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT DETAILS
- Ethical Relativism is the doctrine that the moral rightness and wrongness of actions
varies from society to society
- There are two main forms of ethical relativism as defined here:
Subjectivism: All moral principles are justified by virtue of their acceptance by an
individual agent him or herself.
Criticisms: Morality reduces to something like aesthetic tastes about which there can be
neither argument nor interpersonal judgment. Subjectivism is also incoherent.
Conventionalism: All moral principles are justified by virtue of their cultural
acceptance.
There are two distinct theses that are central to conventional ethical relativism:
Diversity Thesis - morality varies from society to society
Dependency Thesis - All moral principles derive their validity from cultural
acceptance.
Criticisms: Conventionalism can undermine values, can lead to subjectivism, exaggerated
moral diversity, and weak dependency does not imply relativism,
 REFERENCES
Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, T., & Meyer, M. (1992, August 1). Ethical
relativism. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Retrieved
from https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/ethical-
relativism/#:~:text=Ethical%20relativism%20is%20the%20theory,be%20morally%2
0wrong%20in%20another.
Pojman, L. P., & Fieser, J. (2009). Ethical Relativism. In Ethics: Discovering right and
wrong (pp. 13–26). essay, Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
Sullivan, S., & Pecorino, P. (n.d.). ETHICS. Several types. Retrieved from:
https://www.qcc.cuny.edu/socialsciences/ppecorino/ETHICS_TEXT/Chapter_3_Relati
vism/Relativism_Types.htm#:~:text=Relativists%20often%20do%20claim%20that,a
bortion%20is%20always%20morally%20wrong.'
 REFERENCES
Nickerson, C. (2022, April 7). Cultural relativism. Simply Psychology. Retrieved
from https://www.simplypsychology.org/cultural-
relativism.html#:~:text=Cultural%20relativism%2C%20for%20example%2C%20exp
lains,breakfast%20in%20Japan%20or%20Colombia.
Rachels, J. (2015, August 24). ethical relativism. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/ethical-relativism
THANK YOU AND HAVE
A GREAT DAY AHEAD!