Ethical Relativism
In society, individuals are required to uphold the norms and customs of the community. Ethical relativism holds that there are no moral absolutes, and morality is relative to the standards of an individual’s culture. Therefore, an action is termed to be wrong or right based on social norms. Ethical relativism is essential as it allows the practices of a variety of cultures. In this context, the paper discusses the theory of ethical relativism and how it plays a critical role in cultural diversity.
One of the advantages of ethical relativism is that it allows individuals to practice various cultures within society. According to Velasquez et al. (1), there is no comprehensive set of ethics in ethical relativism. With no absolute ethics, there is no Devine Absolute Ethics Giver. Therefore, ethical relativism opposes the idea of the existence of an absolute God and hence excludes religious practices that are based on absolute morals (Velasquez et al. 1). On the other hand, some ethicists have rejected the theory of ethical relativism. Some of the ethicists claim that, despite the differences in the moral practices in various cultures, the fundamental moral principles that govern these practices do not differ.
In ethical relativism, there is no absolute determination of right and wrong. As a result, an action can only be determined if it is right or wrong by a combination of logic, observation, emotions, social preferences and patterns, and rules set in a particular society (Velasquez et al. 1). For example, 200 years ago, slavery was correct and was hence socially acceptable (Velasquez et al. 1). However, in our current society, such a practice is unethical and is greatly discouraged. Therefore, the relativistic perspective is contradictive as ethics change with time.
In summary, the theory of ethical relativism states that actions are only determined to be wrong or right following the norms and morals of a specific culture. Thus, ethical relativism encourages the existence of diverse cultures. Relativism also does not allow the presence of absolute ethics in society. Additionally, since ethics differ with cultures, an action may be right in one community and be termed as being wrong in a diverse cultural setting.
Work Cited
Velasquez, Manuel, et al. “Ethical Relativism.” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, 1 Aug. 1992, https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/ethical-relativism/.