ATS1263 Study Guide - Final Guide: Nicomachean Ethics, Deontological Ethics, Relativism
30 Jul 2018
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Plato"s works, the republic = one of the first great works of moral philosophy in western history: relativism (herodotus) Idea that there is no objective fact of what is right vs wrong --> it is all relative to the customs of a society. Relativism: yes, answers, but not objectives ones: morality is just a matter of "social convention, not universal/objective, one country"s customs are not better than another"s. E. g. funerary practices, monogamy, driving on left v right side of road. Eskimos --> practise infanticide as part of their practises (as a means of survival) Reasons supporting it: rights enshrined in universal declaration are parochial (reason to accept relativism, extreme examples of morally reprehensible acts (infanticide, cannibalism, female genital. "agree to disagree", peaceful social cohesion; avoiding moral disagreement mutilation) do not reflect relativism being used in an everyday sense: cultivates respect, tolerance and acceptance, can get around question of "where does morality come from?"
