Ethics Essays

Essays

1) Suppose a cultural relativist asserts that “One should always and everywhere tolerate other cultural practice.” Explain the delemma that confronts this cultural relativists. That is, explain the two options open to a cultural relativist and why each of these options is problematic for her assertion.

The problem with this statement: that one should always and everywhere tolerate other cultural practices, is the consistent relative view. This is relative to some societies e.g. Nazi, Germany we should not be toleratnt of other societies moral codes. There is at least one bit of universal moral truth; viz we should be tolerant of varying moral codes. The first view is problematic because according to the cultural relativist for any society, a practice, and time it is morally permissible or impermissible at a time relative to a society if and only if the society generally regards the practice and time as morally permissible or impermissible. So the society in Germany deemed the practice of killing and persecuting the Jews at that time as morally permissible. The other problem is that we shouldn’t be tolerant of them killing and persecuting the Jews because it is morally impermissible.

2) How does simple subjectivism differ from emotivism? According to emotivism, why is it that when Jones judges that “Abortion is wrong” and Smith judges that “Abortion is not wrong,” Jones and Smith are not disagreeing each other? In your view, what’s the best explanation for what’s going between Jones and Smith?

The difference between Simple Subjectivism and emotivists is that simple subjectivists and emotivists is that simple subjectivists think moral judgements at approval (or disapproval) and nothing more and emotivists say moral judgements don’t purport to state facts, they express or “vent” one’s emotional reaction to some act, practice or person. The reason why this isn’t a disagreement betweent Jones and Smith is because if your are Emotivist your are simply having different opinions and nothing more. There emotional reaction to abortion can’t contradict it’s just different opinions about the matter at hand. The best thing I can think of is on thinks it is morally right and the other doesn’t, its just