Explain the features of moral relativism.

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                                                                                                                               Lenae Frazer L6A

Explain the Features of Moral Relativism

    Moral relativism is the belief that morality does not relate to any absolute moral standards of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ by which everyone in the world should comply with. It believes that there are circumstances and situations in which actions or behaviour which are usually considered ‘wrong’ can be considered ‘right’. Many of these circumstances are to do with religion, in which culture-bound traditions are frowned upon by outsiders but are acceptable to those within the culture and moral relativism respects their views and beliefs.

    Absolutism opposes moral relativism. It believes that there are rules and of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ which apply to all people and are true for all time. It also believes that an immoral act is intrinsically wrong; it is not made wrong because of its situation or its results. Immanuel Kant was an absolutist and believed that there were absolute duties or categorical imperatives which were always right. An absolutist such as Kant, does not look at the situation from ones perspective, but objectively, and does not take into account the consequences of what a ‘right’ decision may have. For example an absolutist would say that killing in any situation is wrong so abortion is wrong. In a situation such as that of a young girl who has been raped and is still at school but is pregnant the moral relativist would allow an abortion to be called right as she still has her whole life ahead of her and a baby would severely disrupt it. An absolutist would ignore all this information and call an abortion wrong as it is classified as killing.

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    Christian churches are absolutist. They preach commandments such as ‘Do not steal’, but if an underprivileged man with no money had to feed his starving family surely it would not be considered ‘wrong’ to steal from a rich business man to feed them? Kant believes that it should be possible to apply rules of absolutism to everyone, without making allowances for different people in special circumstances.

    Absolutists do not change their opinions according to culture either. In a culture where there is a shortage of men due to war and widows receive no support ...

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