Metaphysical Beliefs » Moral Truths http://metaphysicalbeliefs.com Everything Metaphysical and beyond Sun, 17 Apr 2011 20:40:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 en hourly 1 Why moral relativism is wrong http://metaphysicalbeliefs.com/why-moral-relativism-is-wrong/ http://metaphysicalbeliefs.com/why-moral-relativism-is-wrong/#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:57:31 +0000 admin http://metaphysicalbeliefs.com/why-moral-relativism-is-wrong/

Considering the statement “moral relativism is wrong” has lead me to consider the ambiguity in the common use of language. In attempt to clarify the meaning of the statement, I have considered the following interpretations.

Case 1

The particular set of propositions that fails to ascribe universality to moral truths is wrong.

This seems to suggest that some or all of these propositions are wrong, which, since the value of a proposition is it’s truth or falsity, is to say, false. The difficulty here is the question of what constitutes the facts, i.e. the truth makers, of moral claims. If there are no moral facts, which is exactly what the relativists claim, then there are no moral truths. Some might say that this casts the relativists lot in with the rest, such that the claim “there are no moral facts” is absurd. This, however, does not follow. To claim that there are (or are not) moral facts is a metaphysical, not moral, matter. Even supposing that the metaphysical question were answered affirmatively, we would still have the task of determining the actual organization of the moral world. The question of knowing which moral statements are actually true is made much more difficult by the historical fact of differing opinion. This is not, however, to suggest that there are not moral truths, only that we may not ever know what they are. The absolutist needs answer the questions of what moral facts are and of how it is that we know them.

Case 2

Actions guided by the principles of moral relativism (communicated in the set of propositions mentioned above) are wrong.

Which seems to suggest that unless an action, which i propose are the sorts of things that can be right or wrong, is done for the ‘right’ reason it is wrong. We find a similar claim in Aristotle’s discussion of the wise and virtuous elder, who, being wise and virtuous, does things at the right time, in the right way, in the right measure, for the right reasons. Perhaps ironically, Aristotle’s ethics lead us back down the path of cultural relativism due to the culturally specific process of recognizing wisdom.

Case 3

The act of promoting or proclaiming (the truth of the propositions of) moral relativism is wrong.

This seems to suggest that the act of denying moral absolutism is wrong, which seems to beg the question. If the alternative to moral relativism is moral absolutism, then the absolutist has a more difficult charge than simply asserting that his/her theory is “right.”

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