Explain the concept of absolute morality

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Explain the concept of absolute morality (25 marks)        

Absolute morality is the opinion that all actions are either intrinsically right or wrong. The morality doesn’t change with culture or time, it is universal. Absolute morality is used in Christian ethics, Natural Law and Kantian ethics, to tell us what we should or should not do. Absolute ethics is usually deontological and does not look at individual situations or consequences, but the action itself.

Absolute morality is universal. This means that if the rule is made, it has to be made for everyone in the world. It doesn’t take culture into account or the individual situations or consequences. This is apparent for example, in Kant’s Categorical Imperatives. Kant says that if a law cannot be universalised, then it cannot be made. So child cruelty can be made illegal worldwide because it is never acceptable. This is deontological because Kant looks at the action and not what the action would result in. He says we have free will to do our duty.

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Absolute morality condemns certain actions totally. For example, the 10 commandments said that we should never kill. So even if killing one person could save a larger number of people, it is always wrong. Also, even if it is tradition in some cultures or if a society sees it as acceptable at the time, it is still wrong. People who are absolutists would say that it is our duty to not kill, no matter the consequences.

Absolute morality helps us to make easy decisions. There is no consideration of the individuals or motives behind each case, and no exceptions are ...

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