Value Theory Ethics: moral goodness, obligations, principles, justification; why be moral? Social-Political Philosophy: justice, rights, responsibilities, the state, law Aesthetics: art, beauty Meaning of life

Cultural Relativism: Moral values are relative to one’s culture There are no universally held values Objection: this is simply false; universal values are interpreted differently Ethical Absolutism: one set of moral values applies to all people and cultures Relative vs. absolute Subjective vs. objective

Ethical relativism: no set of values ought to be applied to all Objections: The existence of moral differences does not justify them (“is does not imply ought”) If a culture’s values were always “right,” there could be no moral development or progress We would have to tolerate even cruel cultures It is difficult to define the boundaries of which culture or subculture a person’s acts reflect (Naturalistic Fallacy)