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The importance of cultural relativism
The importance of cultural relativism
Factors affecting ethical decision making
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One of the most notorious saying we grow up to know and embody is one that concerns are greatest possession, are family. “Family comes first no matter what, because at the end of the day they are the ones who are always there”. To most this is means to do anything possible to provide and protect our loved ones. If thrown into a situation, could you practice what you preach?! Society has guided us to believe that stealing is wrong but when placed in the footsteps, could one think differently. For every situation moral theories is used as to explain rather an action was right or wrong. It is depicted as being wrong in society but society never thinks about the normal people and their life. Society believes stealing bread to feed a starving family is wrong and immoral, as they look at as the concept of stealing, not the bigger picture. Normal people see it as a means of supporting as they are the ones in the footsteps being walked. For this reason stealing bread to feed your starving family is moral.
Two controversial theories that support the moral concept of right and wrong are ethical subjectivism and cultural relativism. As define ethical subjectivism deals with the subjects attitudes and proposition of what is true. In short it’s their feelings about their behavior. When placed in a situation the afterthought of “was that right, I’m glad I do it” or the opposite, “that was wrong, I shouldn’t have done it” is eliminated, as these are not thought but is a reflection upon their thoughts but of their rational behavior and for this reason third parties denunciation is rejected. This makes room for one to argue that they are acting in moral perspective, as it’s clear in black and white as to why the act of stealing the bread was don...
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...the concept of what should we do or what we ought to do. Ethics is design to help one receive the life they want and live it with purpose. In certain situations it’s unclear as to consider it moral or immoral as ethics comes to play alongside morality. Some would argue the concept of what can be define as moral as immoral in conjunction with ethics by means of feelings, religion, law, culture, and science. Although they prove good standings they cannot be accounted for as those rationales are more so that of opinion that are altered daily depending of that of the individual. For this reason any act can be considered moral as we can use descriptive education depicting that of ethics, in which we live a life seeking how things should be and that it depends on the individual. So who is to say what’s right and what’s wrong. If it exists in the universe it can be moral.
Ethics is defined by as the “branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions
“Ethics”, in general, is nothing but a principle of conduct. Ethics can also be defined as moral philosophy which is used to answer questions related to morality. The word ‘Ethics’ has been derived from the Greek word ‘Ethos’ which simply meant “the state of being” or “to keep ones soul pure”. The sub divisions of ethics are as follows;
Ethics is defined as the study of moral standards and how they affect conduct in a society or individual. With such a definition it is not wonder that the idea of what is ethically right or wrong can be interpreted differently depending on whose moral compass you use. Though there are many scholars to choose from I chose two very specific doctrines to evaluate for the purpose of this class. Ayn Rand and John Stuart Mill are two scholarly writers who both developed their own ideas and opinions on how morals should be carried out in our everyday lives. Thought the two have many differences, the fact that they are both worldly centered, setting then apart from, for example, and the Christian ethics of other scholars.
What is right and wrong? This question that has been asked throughout history all over the world that perplexes society even today. Many philosophers have attempted to answer this question, but it is hard to make out what the right answer would be or even if it can be answered. Who would be able to tell? That’s why we as individuals must make up our own minds on what is right or wrong. We can only hope to find our own moral path. Though it is up to us we can take a look at philosophers of the past to be a guiding hand at times.
Ethics are the set beliefs and values of an individual which they apply to circumstances relating to morality. To act in an ‘ethical’ manner, an individual must display integrity by doing what they believe to be right.
According to a cultural relativist, “right” and “wrong” are culture-specific. Cultural relativism deals with morality and "relative truth. " What does that mean? Well, it can mean that what is true for one person is not true for another person and that is what an attorney counts on when attempting to defend a guilty client. Cultural relativism is widely accepted in modern anthropology.
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. The term ethics derives from Ancient Greek (ethikos), from (ethos), meaning 'habit, custom'. The branch of philosophy axiology comprises the sub-branches of ethics and aesthetics, each concerned with values. Ethics seeks to resolve questions of human morality by defining concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime. As a field of intellectual enquiry, moral philosophy also is related to the fields of moral psychology, descriptive ethics, and value theory.
Every individual is taught what is right and what is wrong from a young age. It becomes innate of people to know how to react in situations of killings, injuries, sicknesses, and more. Humans have naturally developed a sense of morality, the “beliefs about right and wrong actions and good and bad persons or character,” (Vaughn 123). There are general issues such as genocide, which is deemed immoral by all; however, there are other issues as simple as etiquette, which are seen as right by one culture, but wrong and offense by another. Thus, morals and ethics can vary among regions and cultures known as cultural relativism.
Ethical relativism is the theory on the moral norms practiced within the society to determine whether an action is right or wrong. In other words, a society’s practices judge its own moral standards. In ethical relativism, anthropologist believed there are no standards that apply across the universe for all people at all times. Objectively, nothing is right or wrong. In determining the definition of right and wrong, it depends on a particular culture, or historical period prevailing view. The majority rule determines the terms of right and wrong.
[1] Ethics is defined as “the code of moral principles and values that governs the behaviour of a person or a group with respect to what is right or wrong” (Samson and Daft, 2005, p.158)
As a branch of philosophy, ethics investigates the questions “What is the best way for people to live?” and “What actions are right or wrong in particular circumstances?” In practice, ethics seeks to resolve questions of human morality, by defining concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime. As a field of intellectual enquiry, moral philosophy
Moral ethics is the belief that all human beings are born to know right from wrong. We come into this world as good people, but the temptations and challenges in life influence our mind set to as it will. Every person on Earth chooses if they’re to follow through with their life of good or go down the path of bad. “A person’s moral ethics” (unknown.)
When asked what is the definition of ethics, many responded that being moral meant doing the right thing. But how can we justify what is a good action and what is a bad action? All humans were created equal, but our principles, and ways of thinking can be extremely different. Some may say doing the right thing means following your heart, your inner feelings and intuition. But emotions can be misleading. Others say in order to do what is the morally right thing means to follow the law and do what is right by society, to be accepted. But today’s society is judgmental and can be corrupted with numerous opinions due to the diversity of cultures. So what does it mean to be ethical? Being ethical means doing what is right in terms of virtues, fairness, duties, responsibilities, obligations, and moral believes all which derived from cultures and family backgrounds.
Ethics is a system of moral principles and a branch of philosophy which defines what is acceptable for both individuals and society. It is a philosophy that covers a whole range of things that have an importance in everyday situations. Ethics are vital in everyones lives, it includes human values, and how to have a good life, our rights and responsibilities, moral decisions what is right and wrong, good and bad. Moral principles affect how people make decisions and lead their lives (BBC, 2013). There are many different beliefs about were ethics come from. These consist of; God and Religion, human conscience, the example of good human beings and a huge desire for the best for people in each unique situation, and political power (BBC, 2013).
Morality is defined to be the standards of a human behavior and principles that always give a meaning to life and is a must. Today’s youth have shown a massive degradation in the moral values in the modern society. A large number of today’s youth seem to believe that having moral standards is outdated and unfashionable. Several minds are now subtitled with hypocrisy, lust, hatred and so on, which has resulted in a degeneration that arose from the lack of parental influence, open-minded media and peer pressure. Those causes are the main reason of the sorry state of morality between the youth nowadays.