Knowra Moral relativism Moral relativism Moral relativism holds that the validity or truth of moral judgments depends on a culture, society, or other framework rather than universal standards.
Moral judgment : An evaluation of an action, character, or state of affairs as morally right, wrong, good, or bad. Relativism concerns whether such evaluations hold beyond the framework that makes them.
Moral objectivism : The view that moral claims can be true independently of anyone’s beliefs or attitudes. It challenges the idea that moral validity depends on a framework.
Ethnocentrism : The tendency to evaluate other cultures through the standards and assumptions of one’s own. Relativism is often proposed as a check on ethnocentric moral criticism.
Ruth Benedict : An American anthropologist whose work argued that cultures shape accepted patterns of behavior and value. Her cultural anthropology helped popularize arguments associated with cultural relativism.
Tolerance : The practice of permitting beliefs or practices one disapproves of, within defined limits. Relativism is often linked to tolerance, though the link does not follow automatically.
Moral universalism : The view that at least some moral principles apply across cultures and social frameworks. It directly denies relativism’s rejection of framework-independent moral validity.
Moral realism : The view that moral claims can be true and that some are true independently of our opinions. Its framework-independent truths conflict with strong forms of relativism.
Moral disagreement : A conflict between people or groups over what is morally right, wrong, good, or bad. Persistent disagreement across societies is a common motivation for relativist arguments.
James Rachels : An American philosopher known for work in ethics and for criticizing simple cultural relativism. His arguments distinguish cultural disagreement from the absence of objective moral standards.
Moral progress : Improvement in moral beliefs, practices, or institutions according to defensible standards. If standards vary by framework, explaining progress between frameworks becomes difficult.
Show all 25