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Suppose you and I are debating a moral problem in front of a nonpartisan crowd.
You have concluded that a particular course of action is right, while I believe it is wrong.
It is only natural for me to ask you, “Why do you think doing such-and-such is right?” If
you are unable to give any logical reasons why your position is correct, you are unlikely
to persuade anyone. On the other hand, if you can explain the chain of reasoning that
led you to your conclusion, you will be more likely to convince the audience that your
position is correct. At the very least you will help reveal where there are disputed facts
or values. Therefore, we will reject proposed ethical theories that are not based on
reasoning from facts or commonly accepted values.
In the following sections we consider nine ethical theories—nine frameworks for
moral decision making. We present the motivation or insight underlying each theory,
explain how it can be used to determine whether an action is right or wrong, and give
the “case for” and the “case against” the theory. The workable theories will be those
that make it possible for a person to present a persuasive, logical argument to a diverse
audience of skeptical, yet open-minded people.
The principal sources for these brief introductions to ethical theories are Ethical
Insights: A Brief Introduction by Douglas Birsch [4], The Elements of Moral Philosophy by
James Rachels [5], and On Virtue Ethics by Rosalind Hursthouse [6].
2.2 Subjective Relativism
Relativism is the theory that there are no universal moral norms of right and wrong.
According to this theory, different individuals or groups of people can have completely
opposite views of a moral problem, and both can be right. Two particular kinds of
relativism we'll discuss are subjective relativism and cultural relativism.
Subjective relativism holds that each person decides right and wrong for himself or
herself. This notion is captured in the popular expression, “What's right for you may not
be right for me.”
2.2.1 The Case for Subjective Relativism
1. Well-meaning and intelligent people can have totally opposite opinions about moral
issues.
For example, consider the issue of legalized abortion in the United States. There
are a significant number of rational people on each side of the issue. Subjective
relativists would contend that the reason people cannot reach the same conclusion
is that morality is not like gravity; it is not something “out there” that rational
people can discover and try to understand. Instead, each of us creates his or her
own morality.
2. Ethical debates are disagreeable and pointless.
Going back to the example of abortion, the debate in the United States has been
going on for more than 40 years. An agreement about whether abortion is right or
wrong may never be reached. Nobody is all-knowing. When faced with a difficult
 
 
 
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