Critiques and Objections to Moral Relativism in class lecture meta ethics
Objections to Moral Relativism
The Problem of Moral Diversity and Realist Responses
Relativist Claim: Relativists contend that rampant moral diversity in the world indicates a lack of mind-independent moral facts.
They draw from observations of anthropologists and historians who descriptively study different cultures, noting widely divergent moral practices (e.g., from Ancient Greece).
This diversity is taken as strong evidence for relativism, suggesting that moral facts are not objective.
Moral Realist Responses to Moral Diversity: Realists offer several counter-arguments, challenging the interpretation that diversity automatically negates objective moral facts.
Underlying Foundational Values: Realists argue that despite superficial differences in practices, underlying foundational values are often similar across cultures.
Example: Senicide (
set aside): The practice of killing the elderly in some communities, initially appearing harsh and morally distinct, can be understood when considering the environmental context.In harsh environments, this practice might stem from values like the survival of the group, where individuals exiting the competition for scarce resources benefit the whole.
Metaphysical Beliefs: The chapter's example highlights how practices like senicide might also be linked to religious or metaphysical beliefs (e.g., the belief that one will bring their physical body into the afterlife, making a timely death before severe bodily ailments desirable).
Thus, seemingly controversial practices can be traced back to underlying, universally appreciated values like compassion (for the group) and survival.
Abstraction and Generalization: Realists emphasize moving to a more abstract level of analysis.
While concrete practices differ due to varying circumstances (geographical, climatic, metaphysical beliefs), abstract values like care and compassion are widely shared.
Example: Hawaii vs. Alaska: The physical expressions of care and compassion would look vastly different in resource-rich Hawaii compared to resource-scarce Alaska, yet the underlying values remain.
False Assumption: Realists argue that relativists falsely assume that if objective morality did exist, there would necessarily be universal agreement on moral issues and no moral diversity.
Discovery through Progress: Just as humanity discovered scientific laws (e.g., laws of physics) or facts about the natural world (e.g., Earth is round), so too can moral facts be discovered over time.
Example: Slavery: Realists would contend that slavery was always morally wrong, even if societies didn't realize it or accept it at certain historical points. The eventual abolition of slavery represents a discovery of a moral truth, not merely a change in cultural preference.