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Flashcards in Absolutism & Relativism Deck (23)
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1
Q

Gerald Edelman

A

‘Through an extraordinary instance of the Darwinian principle of adaptation, our brains have become matched to the world’

2
Q

Marian Diamond (leading neurobiologist)

A

‘There is absolutely no doubt that culture changes brains’

3
Q

Hamlet

A

‘There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so’

4
Q

James Rachel’s - Moral Objectivism

A

‘Because the moral law is the law of reason, rational beings are the embodiment of the moral law itself’

5
Q

Louis pojman’s thesis

A

1) diversity thesis (descriptive moral relativism)

2) dependency thesis (meta-ethical moral relativism)

6
Q

Stoic maxim (absolutism)

A

‘Let justice be done though the heavens fall’

7
Q

Weaknesses of moral absolutism?

A
  1. Uncompromising and inflexible (human moral failings)
  2. It can lead to the psychology of legalism (adhering to the letter but not spirit of the law as Jesus condemns in Sermon on the mount)
  3. there are complex and varied dilemmas so it’s impossible to apply
8
Q

Weaknesses of moral relativism?

A
  1. Conclusion (relativism) doesn’t follow factual premise (plurality of beliefs)
  2. Moral ‘progress’ made redundant and reforming is impossible
  3. Law of non-contradiction (2 mutually exclusive truths can’t both be right)
  4. There are shared stable values (clyde kluckhorn & e.o Wilson say that stuff like murder and incest are perceived by almost all cultures that have been observed so far as wrong) Colin turnbull IK Tribe in Uganda DESCENDING INTO CHAOSSSS!
  5. Relativism has the absolute that there are no absolutes
  6. Absolute neutrality is impossible
9
Q

Thomas Nagel on Relativism

A

Relevatism is the ‘view from nowhere’ when we all live somewhere

10
Q

Pope Benedict on Relevatism

A

‘We are in danger of falling into a tyranny of relativism’

11
Q

Moral realism?

A

The view that moral facts exist

12
Q

Moral absolutism

A

The view that there are absolute moral standards

13
Q

Mora relativism

A

The view that more than one moral position on a given topic can be correct

14
Q

Cultural relativism

A

Descriptive - people’s moral beliefs differ

meta-ethical / normative - moral facts differ from culture to culture, not just beliefs

15
Q

John Ladd on Cultural Relatavism

A

‘There are no absolute universal moral standings binding on all men at all times’

16
Q

Ruth Benedict

A

‘Values are merely culturally approved habits’

17
Q

William Temple

A

‘In it’s nature, the moral judgment is wholly independent of religion’

18
Q

J.L Mackie

A

‘There is no objective truth’

19
Q

Graded absolutism

A
  • hierarchy of virtue
  • Charles Hodge
  • similar to DDE
  • avoids relativism
20
Q

DDE

A

Doctrine of double effect

  • algorithm so that absolutism solves murderer knocking on door scenario:
  • you can do a good act even if bad consequences result
  • you can’t do a bad act to being about good consequences
21
Q

Absolutism example forms?

A
  • Plato and the Form of the Good
  • Natural Law ethics
  • Divine command theory
  • Kane’s categorical imperativism
22
Q

Relativism is superior to absolutism bc of

A
  • incoherence of DCT (euthyphro)
  • the problem of free will and absolutes
  • cultural relativism
  • meta-ethical relativism
  • virtue theory
23
Q

Herodotus on Relativism

A

‘Custom is the king o’er all’