Moral Relativism

Moral relativism entails the notion that moral judgments are false or true only relative to a specific standpoint. This means that whether something is considered wrong or right varies according to culture, social context, and opinion (Dean & Miles, 2021). It is worth noting that the philosophical view of moral relativism differs from how the term is used in routine conversations. The central position of moral relativism in philosophy means that a claim about moral values or rules is false or true based on the represented culture. This means that what one considers moral entirely depends on who the person is and the cultural context within which they were raised (Dean & Miles, 2021). For instance, when interpreted using moral relativism, the notion that a person has a right to privacy can only be true under specific social contexts but not others.

There are different ways of understanding moral relativism. The first is descriptive moral relativism which states that moral standards and values are culturally defined. Undoubtedly, there might be a few universally accepted values, such as respect and honesty. However, many distinctions appear across different cultures as people try to examine moral standards worldwide. Meta-ethical relativism is yet another way to understand moral relativism. This is the theoretical view regarding how values originate in societies (Jones & Tizzle, 2018). This view rejects that universal values are objectively valid. The third way is through normative moral relativism, which is the concept that societies need to embrace the differing morals they all hold, given that universal moral principles do not exist.

Conclusively, moral relativists hold that there are numerous valid systems of morality. This means that no matter what we believe is morally wrong or right, at least

one culture or people believe differently and hold their truth with the same conviction we do. The moral diversity witnessed throughout history has therefore led philosophers to argue that there are many valid moral systems and that morality is not absolute but rather relative.

References

Dean, T., & Miles, O. (2021, February 2). What is Moral Relativism? An Ethics Explainer by The Ethics Centre. Retrieved from THE ETHICS CENTRE website: https://ethics.org.au/ethics-explainer-moral-relativism/

Jones, M., & Tizzle, S. (2018). Moral Relativism - Ethics Unwrapped. Retrieved from Ethics                                                    Unwrapped                                          website: https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/moral-relativism