1. Chapter Two: Subjectivism, Relativism, Emotivism

2. Four Perspectives on Moral Judgments
Cultural relativism
Subjective relativism
Emotivism
Ethical objectivism

3. Subjective relativism
The view that an action is right if one approves of it

4. Subjective relativism
Implications:
Each person is morally infallible— incapable of being in error.
Genuine moral disagreement between individuals is nearly impossible.
Moral judgments are a matter of preference (even “taste”) rather than right and wrong.

5. The view that an action is right if one’s culture approves of it
Cultural relativism
The view that an action is right if one’s culture approves of it

6. The Argument for Cultural Relativism
People’s judgments about right and wrong differ from culture to culture.
If people’s judgments about right and wrong differ from culture to culture, right and wrong are relative to culture, and there are no objective moral principles.
Therefore, right and wrong are relative to culture, and there are no objective moral principles.

7. The Argument for Cultural Relativism
The argument is valid.
Premise 1 is true.
Premise 2 is false.

8. The Argument for Cultural Relativism
Even if the moral judgments of people in various cultures do differ, that in itself does not show that morality is relative to culture.
People can differ in their moral judgments not just because they accept different moral principles, but also because they have divergent nonmoral beliefs.

9. Cultural Relativism and Tolerance
There is no necessary connection between tolerance and cultural relativism.
Cultural relativists cannot consistently advocate tolerance.
According to cultural relativism, intolerance can be justified just as easily as tolerance can.
Rejecting cultural relativism (embracing moral objectivism) does not entail intolerance.

10. Cultural relativism Implications: That cultures are morally infallible
That cultural values cannot be criticized from outside the culture
That social reformers within a culture are, by definition, morally wrong
That moral progress is virtually impossible

11. Emotivism
The view that moral judgments cannot be either true or false, but are instead expressions of emotion or attitude

12. Emotivism Implications:
Moral disagreements are not disagreements of fact, but instead are differences in attitude
There are no moral facts, only attitudes about moral judgments
There are no such properties as “goodness” or “badness,” and thus nothing is actually good or bad

13. Ethical Objectivism
Asserts that some moral judgments are universal (valid for everyone)
Not the same as absolutism, which does not acknowledge that objective principles may allow for exceptions depending on circumstances

14. Ethical Objectivism Implications:
Moral disagreements can be resolved using reasoning
Moral judgments and actions can be evaluated according to objective standards