1. Objectives: SWBAT  Identify Moral Relativism  Analyze the significance of moral relativism as an ethical ideal

2. MORAL RELATIVISM 8.4 Forensics – Ethics November 10, 2014

3. Moral Relativism  What does it mean for something to be relative to something else?  Tallness is relative  Being fast  Etc.

4. Moral Relativism  A property or trait is relative when we can’t say it applies to something without “filling in the blank”  Seven feet high is tall FOR A PERSON  Seven feet high is tall FOR A SKYSCRAPER  We can’t say “it rained”  It rained IN BALTIMORE YESTERDAY  It rained IN CAIRO YESTERDAY

5. Relativism in Ethics  There are many morals that are said to be relative  It might be about time and place  It is morally right for a married couple to have sex at night in their bed  It is morally right for a married couple to have sex in the middle of the afternoon on the light rail  Many aspects of moral relativity are already captured by focusing on the acts

6. Relativism in ethics  Two specific claims  Cultural Relativism  The fundamental principles governing right and wrong depend on a crucial way on particular culture, society, civilization or social group  Subjective Relativism  Fundamental principles…..right and wrong vary from person to person even within the same culture, society, or civilization

7. Cultural Relativism  An argument for cultural relativism:  Ethical beliefs and practices differ profoundly from one culture to another  If ethical beliefs and practices differ profoundly…., then the fundamental principles governing right and wrong vary  Therefore, the fundamental principles of right and wrong vary from culture to culture

8. Cultural Relativism  The first premise  Historical and anthropological evidence prove that cultures differ over Cannibalism Polygamy Property rights Free speech Gender Equality Appropriate dress  Are these “profound”?

9. Cultural Relativism  The second Premise  Does the variation matter?  Believing something doesn’t make it true If a culture believes the earth is Flat, it doesn’t mean that the Earth IS flat.  The issue at hand is about whether what ACTUALLY is right or wrong varies from culture to culture

10. Cultural Relativism  If relativism is true, then HOW does morality depend on culture?  STRONG CULTURAL RELATIVISM (SCR)  An act (X) performed by person (P) and time (T) is morally right if and only if X is the act that a majority of members of P’s culture would approve of, endorse, or advocate that P perform at T

11. CW: On your own paper:  Who are you?  As a (gender)  As a (age-group)  As a (profession/ student)  As a (Ethnicity)  As a (Race)  As a (Nationality)  As a (religious identification)  Which of the above do you consider your “culture” and why?  How can SCR vary depending on which you pick?

12. Cultural Relativism  Consider the following activities:  Dog-fighting  Sex before marriage  Homosexuality To you, which one of these activities varies most depending on which culture you identify with? Do any of them not change? How is this exercise a criticism of Cultural relativism?

13. The Ethics of Jim Crowe  1) Briefly summarize the events depicted in parts one and two  2) How do white people treat their black neighbors, generally? (support with evidence)  3) How do the black people in Wright’s account react to the treatment?

14. The Ethics of Jim Crowe (2)  Consider the formulation of cultural relativism if and only if X is the act that a majority of members of P’s culture would approve of, endorse, or advocate that action  An act (X) performed by person (P) is morally right if and only if X is the act that a majority of members of P’s culture would approve of, endorse, or advocate that action  4) Under this definition – is Jim Crowe ethical?