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I don't agree with moral subjectivism or cultural subjectivism, so, instead of exhausting myself with a long argument why, I'm just going to copy my Ethics' teacher's handout on moral relativity. Hooray for community college!
Is Morality Relative?
1. The claim "morality is relative" has two forms: Subjectivism and Cultural Relativism.
2.Subjectivism is the theory that morality is person-relative (like food preferences).
3. Subjectivist compare moral terms (such as "right" and "wrong" ) to other allegedly subjective terms: for example, "interesting," "boring," "delicious," "disgusting," "funny," "attractive."
4. The main argument for Subjectivism: Since (a) people disagree about morality, (b) morality must be relative to each person.
5. This argument fails because interpersonal disagreement about X doesn't prove X is subjective (person-relative): for example, consider interpersonal disagreements in science, history, and mathematics.
6. Subjectivism has the following dubious implications:
*If I approve of A (for example, failing you just for giggles), that makes A right.
*No one's moral code is truer than anyone else's (all are equally true): for example, the moral codes of Hitler and Christ are equally true.
*Changing your moral opinion changes morality (for morality is what you think).
*No one's moral beliefs ever really improve or decline (become more or less correct); they just change.
*No one can be mistaken about morality; everyone is morally infallible. Consider Eva Braun's diary entry for 10 May 1935; she describes Hitler as "the greatest man in Germany and in the world".
7. Cultural Relativism is the theory that morality is culture-relative (like traffic rules, rules of etiquette, and spelling rules). (I use "culture" and "society" interchangeably).
8. The main argument for Cultural Relativism: Since (a) different cultures accept different moral codes, (b) morality must be relative to each culture.
9. This argument fails because inter-cultural disagreement about X doesn't prove X is culture-relative (see analogous point 5).
10. Cultural Relativism has all of the dubious implications:
*No culture's codes is really better than any other's--just different: for example, the Christian code is no better than the Nazi code.
*No culture's code really improves or declines--it just changes: for example, the abolition of slavery wasn't an improvement in the U.S. moral code, just a change.
*Moral truth is discovered just by discovering what your society thinks: for example, if your society thinks gassing mentally retarded children is right, that makes it right.
*Any reformer of a society's moral code is automatically mistaken, because a reformer is someone who denies some part of the society's code, and, for Cultural Relativists, moral truth is determined by society.
*No society can be mistaken about morality; every society is moraly infallible: for example, Nazi Germany in its genocidal practices, Sudan in its practice of female circumcision, Canada in its acceptance of gay marriage, and the U.S. in its acceptance of slavery (in the pasy) and abortion (today).
"If home is where the heart is, then I got evicted this week (Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains)"
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and that means st least thats what i think, because im getting tired of typing that over and over agian.
