Introduction to Ethics II: Absolutism and Relativism

Introduction to Ethics II: Absolutism and Relativism

Learning Objectives

• Describe absolutism with reference to Plato
• Apply absolutist thinking to some ethical statements
• Describe the theory of relativism
• Apply relativist thinking to some ethical statements
• Identify and comment on strengths and weaknesses of absolutism and relativism theories

What do you already know about absolutism and relativism in ethics?

Understanding Absolutism and its implications

• Absolutism: Moral commands that are true for all time, places, and situations
• Plato's ethical absolutism: Belief in moral absolutes such as goodness and justice

Understanding Relativism and its implications

• Relativism: Points of view have no absolute truth or validity
• Protagoras: Advocate of relativism, believed in the relativity of moral statements

Key Philosophers and their contributions

• Sumner and Mackie: Contributed to the theory of relativism
• Cultural relativism: Understanding beliefs, values, and practices based on one's own culture

Concept of Cultural Relativism

• Cultural relativism: Morality as 'socially approved habits'
• Understanding moral statements based on cultural context

Evaluating Relativism and Absolutism

• Strengths and weaknesses of absolutism
• Strengths and weaknesses of relativism

Definition List

• Absolutism: A moral command or prohibition that's true for all time, in all places and in all situations
• Relativism: The idea that points of view have no absolute truth or validity, having only relative, subjective value according to differences in perception and consideration
• Cultural Relativism: The idea that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person's own culture, rather than be judged against the criteria of another.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.