DO RIGHT AND WRONG EXIST?

Or are they just preferences, like preferring chocolate ice cream?

What is right or wrong

is up to each individual person

to decide

Is this right?

or wrong?

the same idea can be

expressed

this way:

There are no

universal moral

laws

BUT

“There are no universal moral laws”

IS a

universal moral law

The “law of

noncontradiction” is the most fundamental

law

of rationalit

y

a statement cannot be both true and

not true at the same time

“What is right or wrong

is up to each individual person

to decide”is an ethical

position called

“moral relativism”

it is not any

more self-evident

than other ethical

positions

such as

natural law

philosophies:

People perceive injustice naturally

And these perceptions

are very similar

in different cultures:

There is a

universal moral law

written in the human

heart

It is wrongTo betray a

friend

It is wrong

To harm the

innocent

It is right

To help the poor

It is rightTo show mercy

Many major moral

philosophers

have believed some version of

Natural Law

Morality

One reason they

rejectmoral

relativismis that it leads to

conclusions

That arerepugna

ntto reason

If moral relativismis true,

there is no rational way

to choose

between

Barnesor

Elias(in Platoon)

If moral relativismis true,

there is no rational way

to choose

between

Adolph Hitler

or

Mother Theresa

If moral relativismis true,

there is no rational way

to choose

between

Rachel Scott

or

those who killed her at

Columbine

If moral relativismis true,

reasonfails

If reason

fails

there cannot be

justice

SO,

If moral relativism

is not self-evident

And if moral relativism

is not strongly Supported

by

Reason(Moral Philosophy)

How did

moral relativism

become so widespread

in America?

Why do so many young people

repeat slogans

from

moral relativism

as though they areobvious truths?

This is a

HistoricalQuestion(rather than a moral or a

philosophical one)

moral relativismwas

advocated by

cultural critics

inspired by Marxist

philosophy:

the “New Leftists”

(during the 1960s)

Albert CamusEmma GoldmanR. D. LaingHerbert MarcuseBertrand RussellJean-Paul Sarte

Bill AyersStokely CarmichaelAngela DavisAbbie HoffmanJerry RubinMaria Savio

After the sixties, New Left

intellectualswent on to influential positions

in universities& the media

“Demoralizing” America

Was a step preparing people

to acceptthe secular state as the source of

all values

Karl Marx believed there were no

universal moral codes

Ethics were

relative to the economic

situations of each individual

society

How has America

Changed

Since the 1960s?

One of the most influential works of

sociologyin recent years is

Bowling Alone

By Robert Putnam

His thesis is that

America has undergone a dramatic

loss of “social capital”

Social CapitalIncludes forms of

Community and

relationship that are as important as money

The title, “Bowling Alone”

Comes from his data:

Since the 1960s, league bowling has

undergone a dramatic decline.

“social capital”

“social capital”

Membership in bowling leagues peaked in the mid-1960s.

What was more significant:

many

measures of community began

to decline in the 1960s

His thesis is that

America has undergone a dramatic

loss of “social capital”

Voluntary Club Meeting Attendance

His thesis is that

America has undergone a dramatic

loss of “social capital”

Charitable Giving

His thesis is that

America has undergone a dramatic

loss of “social capital”

Trust: Can Most People Be Trusted?

other measuresof the well being of

societyhave gone up

Other measureof the well being of

societyHave gone up

Greed Among College Freshmen, 1966-1978

Other measureof the well being of

societyHave gone up

Crime: Hiring of police and guards

Is societygetting better?

or worse?

From the viewpoint

ofmoral

relativism

the question has no

meaning