Philosophy Ethical Relativism With a Essay

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But ultimately, in practice, relativism in action is saying that no system of ethics has been valid for all time, and relativism and subjectivism are constantly evolving in creative dialogue with history and other circumstances. For example, perhaps a long time ago, a division of labor between the sexes made sense, when brute force was necessary for survival, to catch game and to defend cities, and when women had to spend a large portion of their lives bearing children. However, now that technology is responsible for so much of obtaining food and defending the nation, and the more psychological care of fewer children can better be accomplished through the participation of both parents, such a gendered division of labor is inefficient and makes poorer use of human resources, even from an objective point-of-view. And relativism allows the subjective feels of women who feel their talents are underused to be taken into a consideration when ethically determining if affirmative action for women in business is a moral good. The flexibility of relativism with a subjectivist orientation enables individuals to more fundamentally question the assumptions of their lives and to change and shift in a positive way with the circumstances.

Perhaps the most potent argument for subjectivism is that the most destructive ethical systems known to humanity have been absolute and objectivist in nature.

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Fascism posits only one race or national group has a right to life. The Spanish Inquisition said that there was only one interpretation of Catholicism. In contrast, when absolutist systems have been forced to question their assumptions, they have grown more subjectivist and also more humane in nature, and, one could argue, better fulfill the functions they are designed to serve. America proclaims itself a land of liberty, but only by questioning what it means to be a citizen has it truly become a land with freedom for African-Americans, women, and immigrants. Catholicism eliminated its system of selling indulgences after Martin Luther broke with the church and questioned the idea that his Church superiors must be always right on questions of faith.

A final objection to ethical relativism is that it is a descriptive, rather than a prescriptive philosophy. In other words, it describes what people believe without really telling people how to behave. But by forcing the ethical decision-maker to view his or her standard in a larger historical and international context, to observe before judging, it ultimately creates a better world and a more disciplined, rigorous, and creative ethical thinker......

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