Introduction to Moral Philosophy: Cultural Relativism, Nihilism, and Subjectivism

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key concepts from Chapters 3 and 4 of Jonathan Wolff's Introduction to Moral Philosophy, focusing on cultural relativism, moral realism, subjectivism, and nihilism.

Cultural Relativism

The view that moral truth is relative to a specific culture and there is no objective basis for claiming one culture’s morality is superior to another's.

Universalism

The belief that there is one true and correct moral standard that applies to all, and any culture’s morality that fails to meet this standard is in error.

Etiquette

Conventions of good manners that vary between cultures and are often contrasted with the rules of morality.

Moral Realism

The position, also known as objectivism, that values exist in the world independently of what human beings think of them.

David Wong

A philosopher born in $1949$ who proposed a two-level approach to moral relativism consisting of a common moral core and diverse ways of realizing that core.

Level 1 (Wong's Two-Level Approach)

The component of morality that consists of a common moral core focused on values like cooperation and conflict resolution.

Modest Relativism

A view suggesting that while all moral systems share a common core, different cultures resolve conflicts differently by prioritizing different values, such as individual autonomy versus family loyalty.

Moral Anti-realism

The meta-ethical view suggesting that morality is 'invented' like fashion, rather than 'discovered' like mathematical theorems.

Moral Nihilism

The belief that morality is a complete fiction and that there is no such thing as right and wrong.

Subjectivism

The view that morality is a human invention rooted in individual or collective human attitudes and practices.

Individual Subjectivism

A theory holding that moral truths are determined by each person individually, meaning moral judgments are expressions of personal preference similar to tastes in ice cream.

Ideal Knowledge Subjectivism

The view that 'right' is defined by what a person would prefer if they were perfectly rational and possessed full knowledge of all relevant facts.

Expressivism

A theory, sometimes called emotivism, which suggests that moral judgments do not state facts but rather express attitudes or emotions (e.g., saying 'Boo!' or 'Woooo!').

Thin Moral Concepts

Moral terms such as 'good,' 'bad,' 'right,' and 'wrong' that primarily communicate moral approval or disapproval without describing specific traits.

Thick Moral Concepts

Moral terms such as 'kind,' 'brave,' or 'cruel' that both describe specific objective behaviors and communicate moral evaluation.

Evolutionary Debunking Argument

An argument stating that because moral practices can be explained as evolutionary adaptations for social cohesion, there is no reason to believe in mind-independent moral truths.

Psychological Egoism

A reason cited by some nihilists for rejecting morality, based on the claim that humans always pursue only their own self-interest.

Nietzschean Nihilism

The view that our current moral system is merely an accident of history and should be rejected.