Absolutism vs

Key Concepts in Ethics

• Relativism posits that concepts of good, bad, right, and wrong are dependent on cultural, societal, or individual contexts rather than universal standards.
• Cultural relativism views moral rules as constructs shaped by societies rather than objective truths, emphasizing diversity in moral perspectives.

Absolutism vs. Relativism

• Absolutists believe in universal moral truths that apply to all individuals, regardless of context or circumstance.
• A main weakness of absolutism is its failure to accommodate cultural differences, which can lead to rigidity and potentially unjust conclusions.

Ethical Perspectives

• Monotheists might be seen as ethical absolutists because they often derive moral standards from divine commandments considered universally applicable.
• Plato theorized the existence of transcendent Forms or Ideas, suggesting that ultimate truths and moral realities exist in a realm beyond ordinary perception.

Definitions of Moral Terms

• When absolutists declare something is good, they imply its inherent quality that is universally applicable and not subject to personal or cultural interpretation.
• Absolute morality reflects the belief in objective moral standards that are fixed and unchanging, while relative morality contends that moral judgments are influenced by situational factors and cultural contexts.

Philosophical Views on Goodness

• According to Protagoras, goodness is situated within human perception, suggesting that individual perspectives shape moral understanding and that “man is the measure of all things.”

Test your knowledge on absolutism and relativism with this quiz! Explore the meanings of these theories, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and understand the types of morality associated with them. Determine which theory is most likely and least likely to always be wrong.