19-10-2004 18:42									#1
	Moral Relativism: Good, bad...etc? Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

Well, I just thought I'd see what people think of Moral Relativism.

	19-10-2004 18:49									#2
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It might be a bit unpleasant, but since Moral Absolutism is pretty incoherent its all that we've got...

	19-10-2004 18:51									#3
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Maybe a stupid question, but what exactly is moral relativism?

	19-10-2004 18:55									#4
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quote: Originally posted by oedo Maybe a stupid question, but what exactly is moral relativism?

That morals cannot be based on some transcendental "truth" more or less.

	19-10-2004 18:57									#5
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Moral relativism
Utilitarianism

	19-10-2004 18:59									#6
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quote: Originally posted by Boshko That morals cannot be based on some transcendental "truth" more or less.

Well ok, that's fine for me. With some exceptions of course.

	19-10-2004 19:00									#7
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quote: Originally posted by Stefu Moral relativism Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is fairly relativistic itself, how can something that mesures its results in something that subjective as "utils" not be?

	19-10-2004 19:04									#8
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Yep, moral absolutes are logically inconsistent.*

And everyone's viewpoints on it aren't equally valid.*

*Assuming that contradiction is logically invalid.

	19-10-2004 19:05									#9
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quote: Originally posted by Ramo Yep, moral absolutes are logically inconsistent.* And everyone's viewpoints on it aren't equally valid.* *Assuming that contradiction is logically invalid.

	19-10-2004 19:29									#10
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This ethical code is particularly disgusting to me, seeing it in use.

	19-10-2004 20:04									#11
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Moral Relavism

	19-10-2004 20:26									#12
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Moral Relativism is the concept that one culture's moral/ethical system isn't any more valid than any other cultures. More generally (and even more controversially) that one person's moral/ethical system isn't any more valid than anothers. In other words, moral systems are only true in regards to the group that holds it as true.

IMHO, it is full of crap, and I haven't met anyone that has ever really believed it.

Oh, and Utilitarianism is far from a Moral Relativism stance. The former holds that happiness is the absolute good, and hence one should try to increase happiness and decrease suffering for all as much as possible. That ain't relativism.

-Drachasor

	19-10-2004 20:28									#13
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Utilitarianism certainly is not moral relativism, and I wouldn't even call moral relativism a valid ethical code.

	19-10-2004 20:33									#14
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quote: Originally posted by Kidicious Utilitarianism certainly is not moral relativism, and I wouldn't even call moral relativism a valid ethical code.

Indeed, it is more like an evaluation scheme for ethical codes: namely, one ethical code isn't any more valid than another.

-Drachasor

	19-10-2004 20:35									#15
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Moral Relativism

Moral Absolutism

Reasonableness

-Arrian

	19-10-2004 20:36									#16
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It depends.

	19-10-2004 20:36									#17
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quote: Originally posted by The Mad Monk It depends.

	19-10-2004 20:44									#18
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le bien.. le mal.. Je ne sais pas. Viva la résistance?

	19-10-2004 20:44									#19
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quote: Originally posted by Arrian Moral Relativism Moral Absolutism Reasonableness

	19-10-2004 20:52									#20
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How can anyone believing in moral relativism know whether moral relativism is good or bad?

	19-10-2004 20:55									#21
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quote: Originally posted by Ramo Yep, moral absolutes are logically inconsistent.* And everyone's viewpoints on it aren't equally valid.* *Assuming that contradiction is logically invalid.

Logical validity is DEFINED in terms of contradiction, so those are tautological statements with no need of an asterisk.

	19-10-2004 20:59									#22
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Has no one else noticed the irony in the threads title, where Draschasor asks if moral relativism is good or bad?

I'm obviously a moral relativist as I find the contrasting opinion of moral absolutism absurd.

	19-10-2004 20:59									#23
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The answer to your question Ned, is this:

I like it, but everyone's viewpoint on it is equally valid.

	19-10-2004 20:59									#24
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quote: Originally posted by Drachasor Moral Relativism is the concept that one culture's moral/ethical system isn't any more valid than any other cultures. More generally (and even more controversially) that one person's moral/ethical system isn't any more valid than anothers. In other words, moral systems are only true in regards to the group that holds it as true. IMHO, it is full of crap, and I haven't met anyone that has ever really believed it.

It's obviously true. A statement such as "it's wrong to kill people" can only be derived from experience or from pure reason. It's clearly impossible to establish "it's wrong to kill people" from experience - you can observe that killing people causes pain, etc., but there's no experiment you can make to determine whether or not it is right or wrong. It is equally clear that you cannot make some proof of a moral statement such as "it's wrong to kill people" a priori, without assuming, as your premise, that "it's wrong to kill people" (or "it's wrong to cause pain", but you get the point). Therefore, all absolute moral statements are dogmatic.

	19-10-2004 21:01									#25
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quote: Originally posted by Ned How can anyone believing in moral relativism know whether moral relativism is good or bad?

The question in the OP was obviously trolling, but if by "good" or "bad" you simply mean right or wrong, then moral relativism is "good".

	19-10-2004 21:06									#26
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Sound like an absolute statement to me

	19-10-2004 21:07									#27
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But not a moral one.

	19-10-2004 21:08									#28
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Cultural Relativism

	19-10-2004 21:10									#29
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Cultural relativism just doesn't make sense. Cultures aren't "valid" or "invalid". They just are there.

	19-10-2004 21:16									#30
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quote: Originally posted by Kropotkin Has no one else noticed the irony in the threads title, where Draschasor asks if moral relativism is good or bad? I'm obviously a moral relativist as I find the contrasting opinion of moral absolutism absurd.

I think we have to go back to one of the best posts I've seen Ned write. How can it be good or bad? That kind of makes moral relativism absurd.

I'm no absolutist, but saying that one ethical code isn't better than another one ... well seeing it in use I think it's just a way of justifying an action that has no real basis in ethics at all.