Relativism
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CULTURAL RELATIVISM
• Descriptive
• X is considered right in society y at time t, and considered wrong in society z at time t
Morality is viewed as ‘good manners,’ you should respect the views of each society e.g. you should take off your hat when you enter a church regardless of whether or not you are Christian
MORAL RELATIVISM
• Prescriptive
• Goes beyond observation and makes a postulate
• Maintains that what is considered right in society x at time t is right for that society
Morality itself is relative – there is no universal standard by which to measure our characters or actions thus one group of people is never justified in judging another.
This way of thinking has grown in recent years. Until recently people considered it wrong for married women, particularly mothers, to work outside the home. Now it is expected that women make their own choices about coming back to work or not, depending on what is right in that situation.
J.L. MACKIE
Mackie argued that our morality is shaped by our society – if we believe morality has an objective absolute value like Plato’s Form of the Good, it seems we are expected to believe in an invisible spiritual measure against which values can be judged.
CRITICISMS OF MORAL RELATIVISM
? With no universal standard by which to measure our characters or actions one group of people is never justified in judging another
? It is very impractical; would someone who believes it was wrong to steal happily tolerate a neighbour how borrows his lawnmower and refuses to return it on the basis that he has a different moral code?
SITUATION ETHICS
Soren Kierkegaard and Dietrich Bonhoeffer influenced a move in the 20th century in which people looked for greater autonomy – freedom to think. Situation Ethics is primarily associated with Joseph Fletcher whose book was released 1966, in ‘the hippie era’, which became very popular because it was very much in keeping with the mood at the time. Situation Ethics is a good example of Moral Relativism.
Written from a Christian perspective, Fletcher wanted the church to adopt this theory. The Methodist Church did, but the Roman Catholic Church rejected it. It is teleological – about the most loving outcome and the end justifying the means.
OBJECTIVE AGAPE LOVE
Situation ethics has one single maxim, unconditional or agape love (as Fletcher agreed with Augustine). Not a love understood as an emotion but a more objective unconditional what is best for the other person kind of love.
Fletcher: ‘Justice is love distributed’
REJECTION OF LEGALISM
Situation Ethics is a strong rejection of Legalism but also Antinomianism; it acts as a compromise between the two but counts as a relative approach. For Fletcher, Legalism leads people to do the ‘right’ thing regardless of the consequences and goes against Jesus’ command to show compassion. Fletcher said there are three approaches to moral decision making – the legalistic way, the antinomian way and the situational way. He advocated the latter.
JESUS AS A SITUATIONIST
Jesus showed mercy to the woman in adultery instead of stoning her and ate from a cornfield on the Sabbath when it was necessary. The two greatest commandments are based on love – love God and love thy neighbour. Christians aspire to Jesus and it could be argued that Jesus practiced situation ethics.
Joseph Fletcher presents Situation Ethics throughout his book by establishing:
4 WORKING PRINCIPLES
6 FUNDAMENTAL PROPOSITIONS
The working principles are the underlying presuppositions that the fundamental propositions are built on.
4 WORKING PRINCIPLES:
1) Personalism – what is right for the individual
2) Relativism – what is right in that situation
3) Positivism – a morality based on love, not reason
4) Pragmatism – it is practical, pragmatic
ADVANTAGES
• Allows responsibility for our own moral decision making
• People can make decisions about issues not addressed in the bible
• The approach can be taken up from both a Christian and non-Christian perspective
CRITICISMS
• Suggests that the decision made by the individual is more important than the teaching of the church (Catholic Church)
• It expects people to have a greater insight than most of us possess. No one can step outside the situation and look at it objectively, having the foresight to see the outcome with the ability judge which to the most loving option.
• Two people claiming to be acting out of love could come to different decisions. It could be argued that most things can be justified on the basis of love.
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