Download Relativism

Relativism
Michael Lacewing
[email protected]
Descriptive relativism
• Moral codes differ from one society to the
next:
– Some believe slavery is permissible, some
don’t.
– Some enforce female circumcision, some
don’t
– Some hold that everyone should be treated as
equals, some don’t
• This is a factual claim.
Normative relativism
• Aka metaethical relativism, cultural
relativism
• There is no objective moral standard
independent of what societies endorse.
• There is no objective moral truth for all
people at all times.
• So we can’t say that a society’s moral value
or practice is objectively right/wrong.
Normative relativism
• ‘Morally right’ = ‘right according to
(some) society’s moral code’
• We can’t use the standards of one
society (e.g. ours) to judge another
society’s morality.
Normative relativism
• Descriptive relativism doesn’t imply
normative relativism.
– Disagreement is not enough to abandon truth
– Societies could make mistakes.
• Relativism is a kind of social noncognitivism.
• But for individuals within society, there is
a right answer – relativism is not
subjectivism.
Moral judgements as social
conventions
• Societies are not trying to get at the ‘ethical
truth’; instead ethical values and practices are
part of a way of living.
– Each makes moral claims that are ‘true for them’.
• Scientific truth v. ethical truth:
– Science: discovers how the one, physical world is
– Ethics: what would explain ethical ‘mistakes’ or
getting the correct answer?
• There are many social worlds with different
conventions, not one world which guides us
towards agreement.
Relativism and human
nature
• Different societies share many general
principles and virtues
– E.g. prohibitions on killing, lying, theft
– Endorse care of the weak and courage
• Different ethical practices reflect different
conditions, not different principles
• Aristotle: we all aim to achieve the best life
– We all live in some society, and will need similar
virtues for this
– Some societies endorse traits that don’t help people
flourish
Relativism and human
nature
• Reply: There is no one ‘best’ life for
people – the idea is culturally relative.
• Not all societies believe everyone is
equal, so don’t agree that everyone
should be assisted to achieve the best
life.
Judging abhorrent practices
• Does relativism entail that ‘anything goes’?
It seems to imply tolerance.
• But this has limits – should we tolerate
everything?
– How can we continue to hold our own moral
beliefs?
• Does morality become a matter of taste?
Does it lack authority?
• Reply: morality is social – we can still judge
individuals by their social codes.
Tolerance
• Relativism does not imply tolerance:
• Tolerance is a virtue:
– ‘You ought to be tolerant’ – what if my society’s
moral code recommends intolerance?
• If I disagree with you over morality, I will
also try to persuade (not force) people of my
views
– Morality is important; we find it impossible to
restrict.
Moral progress
• Can society progress?
– It can change, but if there is no independent
objective standard, how is this change an
‘improvement’?
• Reply: there can be objective improvements
in rationality
– Discovering new facts (slaves don’t have lower IQs)
– Becoming more consistent (applying principles more
broadly)
– Becoming more coherent (resolving tensions between
principles)
Moral progress
• To make a change is to make an
improvement, if the new code
approves of the change
• Of course, this is relative to the new
point of view
– But this is just the old problem of moral
disagreement