Moral Reasoning (Utilitarianism & Cultural Relativism)

• Each culture has different customs, each believes their way is the right way

  • EX: callations eating their corpses, greeks burning theirs

• Morality/ Customs are learned

What were Herodotus’s views on cultural relativism?

• Believed people all live in different ways

• What is socially approved is considered normal, normal =good 

• Each culture has their own views on what is socially approved 

• Good morality has a different definition between different cultures 

What were Benedict’s views on cultural relativism?

• Premise v Conclusion, Premise: comparison of beliefs, cultures, moralities, Conclusion: no objective morality & morality = Opinion

• Not sound: what people believe v what is actually right or wrong 

• No objective truth is morality 

• Consequences: can’t compare societies as better or worse, can’t judge own society, no moral progress 

• Confusing cultural & moral differences 

  • EX: murder is bad, tell the truth, care for the young 

What was Rachels view on cultural relativism?

• What is the personal preference 

• Opinion: “I think we ought to help” v “We ought to help”

• Does the majority agree?

• Are there moral authorities? 

What was Regan’s view of cultural relativism?

• Pleasure is simple, all pleasure is good 

• Happiness can be measured by the quality of pleasure & pain 

  • Thinking of creating laws to maximize happiness/ pleasure 

What was Bentham’s view of utilitarianism?

• Focusing on quality

• Worthy of swine, we understand the difference of quality and know what pleasures are better than others

What was Mill’s view on utilitarianism? 

• Agrees with the idea of utilitarism 

• Focuses on who is affected by it (To the greatest extent possible for all man kind)

• Example he shares: 

  • Judge who deicides between killing an innocent unliked man or the mob

  • Killing the fat man in the cave to save other people 

What was Nielsen’s view on utilitarianism?

• Any moral reasoning justifying killing people= corrupt mind

• Being unable to distinguish right versus wrong

What was Anscombe’s view on utilitarianism? 

• Critizied 

• Focuses on the words of guilt & responsibility: failure of utilitarianism

• The people who walk away reject the idea that one should suffer for everyone else happy

What was Le Guin’s View on utilitarianism?

Herodotus

485-430 B.C, lived in Turkiye & Italy

Bentham

1748-1832, British utilitarian & legal reformer, London & United Kingdom

Mill

1806-1873, lived in Pentonville, London & Avignon, France

Le Guin

1929-2018, lived in Berkeley, California & Portland, Oregon