Minimal Truth, Moral Conflict and Metaethical Relativism
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The Relativism of Blame and Williams' Relativism of Distance
ABSTRACT: Bernard Williams is a sceptic about the objectivity of moral value, embracing instead a certain qualified moral relativism—the ‘relativism of distance’. His attitude to blame too is in part sceptical (he thought it often involved a certain ‘fantasy’). I will argue that the relativism of distance is unconvincing, even incoherent; but also that it is detachable from the rest of Williams’ moral philosophy. I will then go on to propose an entirely localized thesis I call the relativism of blame, which says that when an agent’s moral shortcomings by our lights are a matter of their living according to the moral thinking of their day, judgements of blame are out of order. Finally, I will propose a form of moral judgement we may sometimes quite properly direct towards historically distant agents when blame is inappropriate—moral-epistemic disappointment. Together these two proposals may help release us from the grip of the idea that moral appraisal always involves the potential applicability of blame, and so from a key source of the relativist idea that moral appraisal is inappropriate over distance. The Relativism of Blame and Williams’ Relativism of Distance Must I think of myself as visiting in judgement all the reaches of history? Of course, one can imagine oneself as Kant at the court of King Arthur, disapproving of its injustices, but exactly what grip does this get on one’s ethical or political thought?1 Bernard Williams famously argued for a distinctive brand of moral relativism, which he regarded as capturing the truth in relativism, and which he called the relativism of distance. -
On the Coherence of Sartre's Defense of Existentialism Against The
Untitled 7/12/05 3:41 PM On the Coherence of Sartre’s Defense of Existentialism Against the Essentialist Charge of Ethical Relativism in His “Existentialism and Humanism” Brad Cherry I.Introduction Although its slim volume may suggest otherwise, Jean-Paul Sartre’s “Existentialism and Humanism” treats a wealth of existentialist themes. Indeed, within its pages, Sartre characterizes many of the hallmarks of existentialist thought, including subjectivity, freedom, responsibility, anguish, forlornness, despair, and so on. Perhaps most importantly, however, Sartre’s “Existentialism and Humanism” occasions a defense of existentialism against its most frequently dealt criticisms, particularly the essentialist charge that existentialism necessarily gives rise to ethical relativism. And while this defense may seem convincing at first, in many places, it also seems to abandon, for the sake of its project, the fundamental commitments of existentialism, at least as Sartre understands them. Thus, in this essay, I critically examine the coherence of Sartre’s defense of existentialism against the essentialist charge of ethical relativism. To the extent that that defense relies largely upon his espousal of an existentialist ethics, I examine, in particular, whether that ethics coheres with the fundamental commitments of existentialism as he understands them. Following this examination, I conclude that (a) the fundamental commitments of existentialism preclude Sartre from coherently positing objectively valid normative ethical statements, that (b) because he nonetheless posits such statements in his espousal of an existentialist ethics, his defense of existentialism against the essentialist charge of ethical relativism breaks down, and finally, that (c) although this incoherence presents a substantial problem for Sartre, one may still defend his attempt to espouse an existentialist ethics. -
Informal Fallacies 2
Ashford University - Ed Tech | Informal_Fallacies_2 JUSTIN Hi, everybody. This is going to be a continuation of the informal logical fallacy HARRISON: discussion. The next one we're going to be talking about is the relativist fallacy. This is a common one that you see. Even in intellectual circles, you see really smart people falling into this fallacy. Well, I guess you can be consistent, but it's very hard to be consistent. The relativist fallacy occurs when you say that, for example, different cultures have different beliefs so what's right in one culture or what's right for one group is right and good. And then something that's opposite in another group is considered right and good. And those two things are right and good for both cultures or groups or whatever it might be. Well, there are different types of relativism, but cultural relativism would say things like, well, we can't judge other cultures because their actions are right based on their own definitions of what is right. And our definitions of what is right and wrong are different. Therefore, what they believe is right is right and what we believe is right is right. And hopefully you can see the problem with this is that-- let's say that we're confronting a culture that subjugates women. And in that culture, it is right or morally acceptable to gang rape a woman, which is actually-- this happens in the world-- when she's been accused of some crime-- often a crime that she didn't commit, but she's just been accused of it. -
The Evidential Weight of Considered Moral Judgments
San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Master's Theses Master's Theses and Graduate Research 2009 The evidential weight of considered moral judgments Christopher Michael Cloos San Jose State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses Recommended Citation Cloos, Christopher Michael, "The evidential weight of considered moral judgments" (2009). Master's Theses. 3352. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.28pf-kx6u https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/3352 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses and Graduate Research at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE EVIDENTIAL WEIGHT OF CONSIDERED MORAL JUDGMENTS A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Philosophy San José State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by Christopher Michael Cloos December 2009 © 2009 Christopher Michael Cloos ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE EVIDENTIAL WEIGHT OF CONSIDERED MORAL JUDGMENTS by Christopher Michael Cloos APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY December 2009 Dr. William H. Shaw Department of Philosophy Dr. Anand J. Vaidya Department of Philosophy Dr. Richard L. Tieszen Department of Philosophy ABSTRACT THE EVIDENTIAL WEIGHT OF CONSIDERED MORAL JUDGMENTS by Christopher Michael Cloos The input objection to reflective equilibrium (RE) claims that the method fails as a method of moral justification. According to the objection, considered moral judgments (CMJs) are not truth-conducive. Because the method uses inputs that are not credible, the method does not generate justified moral beliefs. -
Moral Relativism and Human Rights
Buffalo Human Rights Law Review Volume 13 Article 6 9-1-2007 Moral Relativism and Human Rights Torben Spaak Uppsala University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/bhrlr Part of the Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, and the Human Rights Law Commons Recommended Citation Torben Spaak, Moral Relativism and Human Rights, 13 Buff. Hum. Rts. L. Rev. 73 (2007). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/bhrlr/vol13/iss1/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Buffalo Human Rights Law Review by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Moral Relativism and Human Rights Torben Spaak* 1. INTRODUCTION Politicians, human rights activists, scholars, and others disagree about whether human rights are universally true or valid or only true or valid relative to a given culture.1 Jack Donnelly, for example, defends (what he refers to as) the moral universality of human rights: If human rights are the rights one has simply because one is a human being, as they are usually thought to be, then they are held "universally," by all human beings. They also hold "universally" against all other persons and institutions. As the highest moral rights, they regulate the fundamental structures and practices of political life, and in ordinary cir- cumstances they take priority over other moral, legal, and political claims. These distinctions encompass what I call 2 the moral universality of human rights. -
Moral Relativism
City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Publications and Research New York City College of Technology 2020 The Incoherence of Moral Relativism Carlo Alvaro CUNY New York City College of Technology How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/ny_pubs/583 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] 1 The Incoherence of Moral Relativism Abstract This paper is a response to Park Seungbae’s article, “Defence of Cultural Relativism”. Some of the typical criticisms of moral relativism are the following: moral relativism is erroneously committed to the principle of tolerance, which is a universal principle; there are a number of objective moral rules; a moral relativist must admit that Hitler was right, which is absurd; a moral relativist must deny, in the face of evidence, that moral progress is possible; and, since every individual belongs to multiple cultures at once, the concept of moral relativism is vague. Park argues that such contentions do not affect moral relativism and that the moral relativist may respond that the value of tolerance, Hitler’s actions, and the concept of culture are themselves relative. In what follows, I show that Park’s adroit strategy is unsuccessful. Consequently, moral relativism is incoherent. Keywords: Moral relativism; moral absolutism; objectivity; tolerance; moral progress 2 The Incoherence of Moral Relativism Moral relativism is a meta-ethical theory according to which moral values and duties are relative to a culture and do not exist independently of a culture. -
Moral Relativism and Chinese Philosophy
1 Introduction Yong Huang and Yang Xiao It is only quite recently that moral relativism has become a central topic among moral philosophers. About thirty years ago, in 1979, Philippa Foot had the following to say: Because moral relativism is “one of those natural philosophical thoughts . one might therefore expect that mor- al relativism would be a central topic among those discussed in classes and in the journals. Surprisingly, however, the truth has for long been quite otherwise. Many recent books on moral philosophy ignore the problem or give it perfunctory treatment, and it is only in the last two or three years that strong, interesting articles have begun to appear in print” (Foot 2002, 20). In 1984, David Wong’s Moral Relativity, the first book-length study of moral relativism appeared (Wong 1984). Since then, there have been many books and journal articles on the topic.1 It is a significant fact that, in contrast to most of the people who have aimed at establishing its falsity, Wong is among a handful of contemporary philosophers in the English-speaking world who are willing to defend certain forms of relativism.2 In his second book on moral relativism, Natural Moralities: A Defense of Pluralistic Relativism (Wong 2006), which is the focus of this edited volume, Wong gives new arguments for an ambitious, sophisti- cated, and original version of moral relativism, which was first sketched out in his 1984 book. As one of the reviewers remarks, Wong’s new book is “the most systematic and persuasive defense of moral relativism that has yet been written” (Gowans 2007). -
Summer 2002 PROFILES in FAITH in THIS ISSUE 1 Profiles in Faith: John Calvin (1509–1564) John Calvin by Art Lindsley by Dr
KKNOWINGNOWING A Teaching Quarterly for Discipleship of Heart and Mind C.S. LEWIS INSTITUTE OINGOING &D&D Summer 2002 PROFILES IN FAITH IN THIS ISSUE 1 Profiles in Faith: John Calvin (1509–1564) John Calvin by Art Lindsley by Dr. Art Lindsley Scholar-in-Residence 3 C.S. Lewis Feature Article: C.S. Lewis on Freud and Marx by Art Lindsley 6 A Conversation with: Ravi Zacharias 8 Review & Reflect: Two Giants and the he mere mention of John Calvin’s maintains, “Calvin is the man who, next to St. Giant Question: a name (born July 10, 1509 in Noyon, Paul, has done the most good to mankind.” review of Dr. France – died May 27, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, En- Armand Nicholi’s T book The Ques- 1564 in Geneva, Switzerland) glish preacher, asserts, “The T tion of God produces strong reactions both longer I live the clearer does it ap- by James Beavers pro and con. Erich Fromm, 20th “Taking into pear that John Calvin’s system is century German-born American the nearest to perfection.” 12 Special Feature psychoanalyst and social phi- account all his Basil Hall, Cambridge profes- Article: losopher, says that Calvin “be- sor, once wrote an essay, “The Conversational longed to the ranks of the failings, he Calvin Legend,” in which he ar- Apologetics greatest haters in history.” The gues that formerly those who by Michael must be Ramsden Oxford Dictionary of the Christian depreciated Calvin had at least Church maintains that Calvin reckoned as one read his works, whereas now 24 Upcoming Events was “cruel” and the “unopposed the word “Calvin” or “Calvin- dictator of Geneva.” On the other of the greatest ism” is used as a word with hand, Theodore Beza, Calvin’s negative connotations but with successor, says of Calvin, “I have and best of men little or no content. -
(3 Credit Hours) Course Description: a Study of the Moral Principl
PHILIOSOPHY 320 ETHICS BULLETIN INFORMATION PHIL 320 - Ethics (3 credit hours) Course Description: A study of the moral principles of conduct and the basic concepts underlying these principles, such as good, evil, right, wrong, justice, value, duty, and obligation. The ethical works of influential philosophers are analyzed in terms of these concepts. SAMPLE COURSE OVERVIEW We will discuss central questions in the study of ethics. These questions include: What ought we to do? What is of value in our lives? What kind of person should I be? Are there moral facts, and if so, what are they and how do we know about them? If not, what else might ground ethical or moral thinking? To help us with these questions, we will analyze competing moral theories. Along the way we will grapple with some examples of their application, both as thought-experiments and to real-world issues. ITEMIZED LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon successful completion of Philosophy 320, students will be able to: 1. Think carefully and systematically about questions of right and wrong action 2. Identify values, the role they have in our lives and in moral theory, and their possible sources 3. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of values, ethics, and social Responsibility for the self and for contemporary society 4. Reflect on how values shape personal and community ethics and decision-making 5. Present arguments in support of moral claims, both orally and in writing SAMPLE REQUIRED TEXTS/SUGGESTED READINGS/MATERIALS 1. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant (Pub: Hackett. ISBN: 0-87220-166-X) 2. -
Theory Reflections: Linguistic Determinism/Relativism
Theory Reflections: Linguistic Determinism/Relativism The Theory The theory of linguistic determinism and relativity presents a two-sided phenomenon: Does the specific language (and culture) we are exposed to in childhood determine, in fact, how we perceive the world, how we think, and how we express ourselves? If this is so, then, it must also be the case that each language (and the culture it represents) necessarily provides its speakers with a specific and differing view of that same world, a different way of thinking, and a different way of expressing. This notion is related to a parallel issue that has existed throughout the centuries—are there also universal absolutes that transcend all linguistic (and cultural) particulars? Recent research suggests there may be elements of both. Linguistic determinism came to the attention of linguists and anthropologists during the 1930s, prompted by the work of Benjamin Lee Whorf. Using prevailing linguistic approaches of his time, Whorf, who studied indigenous languages, found surprising contrasts with European tongues in terms of how they reflected and spoke about reality (e.g., how they segment the time continuum, construct lexical hierarchies and, in short, encode a different view of the world, or Weltanschauung). The Whorf-Sapir hypothesis, as it came to be known (Sapir was his teacher), gained increasing attention and prompted the notion of language determinism/relativity. In other words, the language we are born to has a direct effect upon how we conceptualize, think, interact, and express—a direct relationship between human language and human thinking This notion has remained at the center of a debate for more than half a century. -
Responding to Relativism with Logic and Love by Edward Sri Discussion Guide
Who Am I To Judge: Responding to Relativism with Logic and Love by Edward Sri Discussion Guide Part One The Challenge Relativism is the idea that there is no truth, that each individual decides for himself what is true and what is right and wrong. Pope Benedict states that “Having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism.” He further states, “We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive…” 1. Have you ever felt afraid to bring up a moral topic or talk about a moral issue with your friends or family? Clashing World views Relativism thrives because Christians have not done a good job of explaining the Christian moral vision. We have left people with the impression that morality is just about random rules. 2. Why is it illogical for relativists to say there is no truth? Part Two A New Vision The Greek philosophers believed that practically every moment is an ethical moment because ethics is fundamentally about a person’s character. In other words, our individual choices really do matter; they lead us in one direction or another. 3. Using the funeral example mentioned in this chapter, which qualities do you want to be remembered for most? What does this tell us about what’s most important in life and the kind of life you want to live? Friendship & Virtue Catholicism defines virtue as “a habitual and firm disposition to do good.” The virtuous person does good easily, consistently, and joyfully. When we fail to be the best we can be, we have a negative impact on the people God has placed in our lives. -
Gibbard, Allan
ThinkingH ow to Live with Each Other ALLAN GibbARD The Tanner Lectures on Human Values Delivered at TheU niversity of California, Berkeley February 28–March 2, 2006 Allan Gibbard is Richard Brandt Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy at the University of Michigan. He graduated from Swarth- more College and received his Ph.D. from Harvard University. He taught at Achimota School in Ghana while in the Peace Corps, and at the Uni- versity of Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh. He has also been a visiting professor at Stanford University. He is a member of the American Philosophical Society and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has served as president of the Central Division of the Ameri- can Philosophical Society. His many publications include Manipulation of Voting Schemes: A General Result (1973); Wise Choices, Apt Feelings: A Theory of Normative Judgment (1990); Moral Discourse and Practice (co- editor with Stephen Darwall and Peter Railton, 1997); and ThinkingH ow to Live (2003). I. INSight, CONSISTENCY, AND PLANS FOR LiviNG Jonathan Haidt, the social psychologist, entitles a fascinating article “The Emotional Dog and Its Rational Tail.” His topic is moral judgment, and the emotional dog is what he calls “intuition.” Mostly, he argues, we don’t arrive at our moral conclusions by reasoning. We jump to them with emo- tional judgments, with “affectively valenced intuitions,” as he puts it. We will often be firmly convinced that our moral judgments rest on sound reasoning, and that unless others are driven by bias, they will appreciate the force of our arguments.