Relativism: Whether or not a certain behavior is ethical depends on the culture within which it is performed, or the person who performed it..
Relativism is intuitive:
• Different cultures have different practices.
• Different cultures have different values.
• Moral disagreements seem difficult to resolve.
Ex. Abortion
Cultural Differences Argument
(1)Different cultures have different moral codes.
(2)Therefore, there is no objective truth in morality. Right and wrong are only matters of opinion, and opinions vary from culture to culture.
Can we infer:
(1)There is disagreement about the facts.
(2)Therefore, there are no facts, only opinions.
?
Consider the following:
(1)Some physicists believe that the universe is finite, while others believe that it is infinite.
(2)Therefore, there is no fact/truth about whether the universe is infinite, only opinions.
VARIATION vs RELATIVISM
Just because there is variation in practice or opinion, it does not follow that there is variation in moral truth.
What if relativism were true?
Further considerations against relativism:
Does rejecting relativism imply cultural chauvinism/imperialism?
“If we criticize other cultures, we are imposing our own culture onto others.”
How can we be objective about ethics without being imperialist?