PSYC1002 Study Guide - Final Guide: Relativism
15 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Ethics – Psychology
Morality vs ethics
Morality – manner, custom, conduct
• Questions of duty, obligation and conduct. Are our actions right or wrong
• Principles or habits with respect to right or wrong conduct. It is ultimately a personal
compass of right and wrong
Ethics – manners, character, custom or disposition
• Broader category, encompassing questions of how we should live our lives
• Perhaps better seen as asking what is good or bad rather than right or wrong
• Rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular
group or culture
Absolutism vs Relativism
Ethical absolutism
• Absolute moral principles & rules that always apply to every situation to determine what
actions are right and wrong
• E.g. universal moral laws like thou shalt ot kill
Problems:
• ‘ules dot poide eough ifoatio to e ale to deal ith eal-life moral dilemmas
• Difficulty in maintaining perspective in the face of real consequences (i.e. loss of family)
Ethical relativism
• No universally valid or correct standards of right and wrong (morality depends on situation)
• O a ie atios ight o og depedet upo the ultual otet (but neither is
more morally correct than the other)
Problems:
• Difficulty in making any moral judgements. An extee ultual eaple states that e at
make moral judgements about other cultures.
• ‘euies us to do soethig ad i ode to gai a good oseuee. Does the ed alas
justif the eas?
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Morality manner, custom, conduct: questions of duty, obligation and conduct. Are our actions right or wrong: principles or habits with respect to right or wrong conduct. It is ultimately a personal compass of right and wrong. Ethical absolutism: absolute moral principles & rules that always apply to every situation to determine what actions are right and wrong, e. g. universal moral laws like (cid:862)thou shalt (cid:374)ot kill(cid:863) Problems: ules do(cid:374)(cid:859)t p(cid:396)o(cid:448)ide e(cid:374)ough i(cid:374)fo(cid:396)(cid:373)atio(cid:374) to (cid:271)e a(cid:271)le to deal (cid:449)ith (cid:396)eal-life moral dilemmas, difficulty in maintaining perspective in the face of real consequences (i. e. loss of family) Ethical relativism: no universally valid or correct standards of right and wrong (morality depends on situation, o(cid:396) (cid:272)a(cid:374) (cid:448)ie(cid:449) a(cid:272)tio(cid:374)(cid:859)s (cid:396)ight o(cid:396) (cid:449)(cid:396)o(cid:374)g depe(cid:374)de(cid:374)t upo(cid:374) the (cid:272)ultu(cid:396)al (cid:272)o(cid:374)te(cid:454)t (but neither is more morally correct than the other) Problems: difficulty in making any moral judgements.
