PHIL103 Cultural Relativism & Subjectivism & Emotivism

What is cultural relativism basically?

A philosophical theory that proposes the idea that different cultures and epochs have different moral codes

What does cultural relativism challenge us to do?

It challenges our belief in the objectivity and universality of moral truth, claims there is no universal truth in ethics, and that our own code has no special status

What are the 4 claims made by cultural relativism?

1. Different societies/epochs have different moral codes

2. The moral code of a society determines what is right within that society

3. There is no objective standard that can be used to judge one society’s code to be better than another’s and our own code has no special status

4. It is arrogance to judge the conduct of people from other cultures

What is the 5 arguments for the claims made by cultural relativism?

1. Yes but some values all cultures share

2. some societies do permit serious injustices so they can be in need of moral improvement

3. If we criticise practices then we are appealing to principles that are not tied to a particular society i.e aparheid

4. There is no special status but it does not follow that all moral codes are equal

5. We should be tolerant but not to everything

What are consequences of cultural relativism?

We could no longer claim customs of other societies are morally superior/inferior to our own ( we cannot criticise)

We could decide if actions were right/wrong just by consulting societies standards

The idea of moral progress is called into doubt

What can we learn from cultural relativism?

Keep an open mind, and warns of the danger of assuming our preferences are based on an absolute rational standard, some cultural practices are due to environmental and contextual factors too

What is ethical subjectivism?

Proposes that there us no universal standards or moral truths, marks a difference between facts and values

What are the two stages of ethical subjectivism"?

Simple subjectivism and emotivism

What is simple subjectivism?

When someone says that A is morally good or bad, than they are just saying they approve or disapprove of A

What can simple subjectivism not account for?

It cannot account for fallibility and disagreement

What are arguments against simple subjectivism?

Just saying you approve of disapprove of A makes no one wrong, and therefore no one can change your views. We fundamentally make mistakes. There is also clear disagreements in life which the theory tries to disprove

What is emotivism?

Claims that moral language is not expression of attitude but emotion

What are problems with emotivism?

Because it rests on emotions, there is no need for good reasons for judgements. But good moral judgements need the support of good reasons

Are there moral facts?

yes as long as they are backed by good reason

Are there proofs in ethics?

yes