Ethical Subjectivism

There ain't no sin and there ain't no

virtue. There's just stuff people do.
John Steinbeck, Grapes of Wrath
• Subjectivism
teaches that there
are no objective
moral truths out
there.
• Many forms of
subjectivism go a bit
further and teach that
moral statements
describe how the
speaker feels 
• Some forms of subjectivism
generalise this idea to come up
with:
Moral statements are just factual
statements about the
attitude normal human
beings hold on a particular issue
• And this may ultimately
lead us to this conclusion
about moral truths:
Moral judgements are
dependent on the
feelings and attitudes of
the persons who think
about such things
• Normative Meta-Ethical

Subjectivism
 1-Normative Subj.

• Normative ethical theories attempt to specify

conditions under which an action is right or
wrong
• An act is morally right if and only if the person
judging the action approves of it
• There is truth
in ethic but
no object
truth
• And sincerity
is the mark of
ethical truth
2-Meta-Ethical Subj.
• Meta-ethical subj.
claim that normative
ethical theories and
moral judgements in
general can’t be
truth
• According to meta-ethical subj. Purpose of
moral judgements is not report personal–social
attitude but rather than express one’s feeling or
a commitment
 Pros(+) of subjectivism

• Reflects the subjective elements of morality

• Shows that moral judgements communicate

dis/approval
Cons(-) of subjectivism

• If I approve of something, it must be good

• Moral statements seem more than statements

about feelings
• How can we blame people if moral truths are
always subjective?
 bibliography
• https://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_et
hical_subjectivism.html
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/introduction/sub
jectivism.shtml

• https://www.slideshare.net/HeCallsMeBeau/e
thical-subjectivism
• http://www.philosophy-index.com/ethics/met
a-ethics/subjectivism.php
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_subjecti