Contemporary Social Problems Unit 1

Moral Relativism

Definition: A challenge against moral objectivism.

Moral Objectivism: The same moral standard that consists of all that determines moral good or bad.

Example: Choosing whether or not to eat animals, become some vegetarians argue that it is morally wrong to eat animals, but there is no moral standard against it.

Strengths: Different societies have different moral beliefs and practices, so this view allows you to respect that.

Weaknesses/Biggest Objections: It can make any practice morally right, and then there is no moral standard.

No moral standard = society cannot progress.

Way to remember = Morals can change depending on where or who you are. There isn't one moral rulebook.

Subjectivism

Definition: There can be different moral standards for different people. Each standard (based on that person's moral beliefs and practices at a given time) consists of the moral values and principles that hold for that person at that time.

Example: One person may believe that drinking alcohol is morally wrong for themselves because it violates their conscience, when another person does not believe it is wrong for them to do so.

Strengths: Recognizes that people can have different moral standards and that people's beliefs change based on their individual. Accounts for personal moral beliefs.

Weaknesses/Biggest Objections: Subjectivism does not look like an acceptable account of morality. If everyone has a different moral standard, it can get dangerously close to no morality at all.

Way to remember: My morals, what's right for me might not be right for you. Subject is the person who has the morals.

Cultural/Popular Relativism

Definition: There can be different moral standards for different societies. Each standard (based on that society's moral beliefs and practices) consists of moral values and principles that hold for all members of that particular society.

Example: One society may consider polygamy morally acceptable, while another society considers monogamy and monogamous marriage the moral standard.

Strengths: It maintains that there can be differently, but equally valid moral standards for different culture or social groups.

Weaknesses: Insists that all those who belong to a given group are bound to their group's moral standard, whether or not they agree with it. It also creates problems for moral reformers and moral progress, and determine which moral standard applies to people who belong to several different social groups.

Way to remember: OUR morals, like subjectivism but more group. What's right depends on what your society or culture accepts.

Divine Command Theory

Definition: A traditional dependency theory that maintains that morally right acts are those that God commands or wills.

Example: If God commands people not to murder, then murder is morally wrong because it violates God's command.

Strengths: Makes morality dependent on God rather than human opinion and provides a basis for objective moral standards.

Weaknesses: There are humans who don't believe in God, and God may mean different things to different people. If morality is whatever God commands, then anything could count as morally right (simply if God commanded them)

The classic dilemma raised through Euthyphro: Is something right because God commands it, or does God command it because it is right.

Way to remember: God said so.

Objectiism

Definition: There is only one universal moral standard. That standard (based on objective moral facts) consists of moral values and principles that hold universally for all people and all societies.

Example: Lying is morally wrong, even if a person or society believes that lying in a specific situation is acceptable.

Strengths: It provides a single, universal basis for judging actions and allows us to say that something is wrong even when society accepts it.

Gives us a basis for criticizing slavery, genocide, discrimination, etc.

Weaknesses: There is only one standard, and explaining what and how we know it is is difficult.

Way to remember: There is one rulebook, one universal moral standard.

Natural Law Theory

Definition: Identifies several values upon which to base moral principles and aims toward certain goods and gives us principles that hold universally, but allows for particular situations to be taken into consideration as well.

Natural value: Some desirable end of goal toward which nature aims.

Example: People universally recognize that killing an innocent human being is wrong.

Strengths: It considers consequences, intentions, and principles and gives us several foundational values. It allows for someone to disobey something that may be considered morally wrong for the betterment of society.

Weaknesses: It can be difficult to determine what exactly is natural, and different descriptions of the same act may produce different moral judgements

Way to remember: Nature has a purpose. Things naturally aim towards good, so we should protect those goods.

Utilitarianism

Definition: A consequentialist theory. The morally right act, for a particular situation, is that act that results in producing the greatest overall utility.

Consequentialist theories: define what is morally right solely in terms of effects or consequences

Utility: Whatever makes consequences desirable, brings joy

Brings the most amount of joy to the most amount of people

Example: Doing a test trial of a drug that could cure a disease if the drug is successful, but the test subjects are at risk for harm.

Strengths: Objective, simple, flexible, easily extendable to non-humans, sensitive to the specific circumstances of a situation. Attempts to treat everyone in a way that makes the most amount of people happy.

Weaknesses: It can require behavior that can be extremely damaging to whoever is not in the majority, and can allow actions that could be considered morally wrong to be broken for the greater good.

“Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” (Objection)

A story that presents a situation in where a communities happiness and prosperity all depends on a child's endless misery, and the citizens know that the child is miserable and suffering.

Asks whether the greatest overall utility is sufficient justification for happiness when it requires severe injustice, sometimes to those who are considered the most innocent

Way to remember: Most amount of good for the most amount of people.

Deontology

Definition: Reject consequences as a basis for morality and focus upon duties. Identifies right and wrong by considering the kind of act committed rather than simply just its consequences

Example: Lying to someone can be morally wrong because it violates a duty, even if the lie produces beneficial consequences

Strength: Emphasizes ones moral duties, principles, and intentions and the support of justice and rights. Protects individuals against being sacrificed merely because doing so would produce better consequences for everyone else.

Weaknesses: Duties can conflict, and there can be moral dilemmas in which following a rule could produce a bad result.

Way to remember: Follow your duty, not because of what happens afterwards.

Kantianism

Definition: Based on reason and rejects the idea that moral principles depend on consequences. Argues that the Good Will chooses to do something because it is one's moral duty.

Example: Helping someone because it is your moral duty, even if you do not enjoy or benefit from helping them.

Strength: A universal approach to morality and an equal moral worth of people that requires a mutual treatment of respect.

Weaknesses: Moral dilemmas can occur, and Kant's theory can be overly strict because it does not simply allow consequences to determine what we should do.

Way to remember: Do your duty because it is your duty.

Rossianism

Definition: There are seven fundamental moral duties and each is a prima face duty, which means it should be fulfilled as long as no more important moral duty overrides it.

The Seven Duties;

Fidelity: The duty "be truthful, pay back debts, and keep agreements".

Reparation: The duty “to set right any wrongs we have previously done to another.”

Gratitude: The duty “to make some return for favors others have done for us.”

Justice: The duty “to ensure the fair distribution of goods according to merit.”

Beneficence: The duty “to improve the condition of others.”

Self-improvement: The duty “to improve oneself.”

Non-maleficence: The duty “not to harm or injure others.”

Example: You are meeting a friend, but you see someone who desperately needs medical attention and to go to the hospital. You have both the duty of fidelity (meeting your friend) and beneficence (saving someone's life), and you must choose which would outweigh the other.

Strength: Allows for the explanation of moral dilemmas by establishing the prima facie duty, and does not beleive that one moral principle determines every situation.

Weaknesses: It's based on intuition of an individual and can be influnced by social interactions or our personal beliefs/greed.

Way to remember: Several duties, figure out which is most important