1. Ethical Relativism, Absolutism, and Pluralism
6/5/2019
©Lawrence M. Hinman

2. ©Lawrence M. Hinman http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
Introduction
This presentation arises out of two distinct sources:
In ethics, I have been interested in sketching out a middle ground between absolutism and relativism.
In teaching, I have been interested in exploring ways in which we visualize knowledge.
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

3. Between Relativism and Absolutism
As a teacher, I found that neither relativism nor absolutism was satisfactory.
I found myself looking for something in between these two extremes
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

4. ©Lawrence M. Hinman http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
Ethical Relativism
Ethical relativism has several important insights:
The need for tolerance and understanding
The fact of moral diversity
We should not pass judgment on practices in other cultures when we don’t understand them
Sometimes reasonable people may differ on what’s morally acceptable
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

5. Two Types of Relativism
Descriptive ethical relativism
Claims as a matter of fact that different cultures have different moral values
Normative ethical relativism
Claims that each culture is right unto itself
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

6. Three Questions about the Meaning of Relativism
What part of morality is relative?
Behavior
Peripheral values
Fundamental values
Morality is relative.
How much of morality is relative?
All
Most
Some
Relative to what?
Individuals
Cultures
Nations
Groups
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

7. ©Lawrence M. Hinman http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
Relative to what?
Descriptive ethical relativists say that moral values are relative, but to what:
Culture
Nation
Group
Individual—subjectivism
How do we individuate cultures?
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

8. ©Lawrence M. Hinman http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
What is relative?
Behavior
Different behaviors may exemplify the same value
The same behavior may exemplify different values in different culture
Peripheral values
Obviously some culturally-specific values
Core values
Are there central values found in all cultures?
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

9. Ethical Relativism: Limitations
Presupposes an epistemological solipsism
Is unhelpful in dealing with overlaps of cultures--precisely where we need help.
Commerce and trade
Media
World Wide Web
Is self-defensive: if we can’t judge others, neither can they judge us
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

10. Ethical Relativism: Solipsism
Sometimes we say that we can’t judge other cultures because we can’t fully understand them.
Do we need full understanding to judge something?
Do we even have full understanding of ourselves?
Would this eliminate anthropology as a discipline?
Does it deny a main goal of multiculturalism?
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

11. Ethical Relativism: Overlapping Cultures, 1
Ethical relativism suggests that we let each culture live as it sees fit
This is only feasible when cultures don’t have to interact with one another.
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

12. Ethical Relativism: Overlapping Cultures, 2
The challenge of the coming century is precisely overlapping cultures:
Multinational corporations
International media--BBC, MTV, CNN
International sports--Olympics
World Wide Web
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

13. Ethical Relativism: Overlapping Cultures, 3
The actual situation in today’s world is much closer to the diagram at the right.
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

14. Ethical Relativism: A Self-Defensive Position
Ethical relativism maintains that we cannot make moral judgments about other cultures
The corollary of this is that we are protected in principle against the judgments made by other cultures
Shares this characteristic with absolutism
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

15. ©Lawrence M. Hinman http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
Ethical Absolutism
Absolutism comes in many versions--including the divine right of kings
Absolutism is less about what we believe and more about how we believe it
Common elements:
There is a single Truth
Their position embodies that truth
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

16. ©Lawrence M. Hinman http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
Ethical Absolutism
Ethical absolutism gets some things right
We need to make judgments (at least sometimes)
Certain things are intolerable
But it gets some things wrong, including:
Our truth is the truth
We can’t learn from others
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

17. ©Lawrence M. Hinman http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
Ethical Pluralism
Combines insights of both relativism and absolutism:
The central challenge: how to live together with differing and conflicting values
Fallibilism: recognizes that we might be mistaken
Sees disagreement as a possible strength:
checks and balances government analogy
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

18. ©Lawrence M. Hinman http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
Ethical Pluralism, 2
Ethical pluralism offers three categories to describe actions:
Prohibited: those actions which are not seen as permissible at all
Absolutism sees the importance of this
Tolerated: those actions and values in which legitimate differences are possible
Relativism sees the importance of this
Ideal: a moral vision of what the ideal society would be like
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

19. ©Lawrence M. Hinman http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
Ethical Pluralism, 3
For each action or policy, we can place it in one of three regions:
Ideal--Center
Permitted--Middle
Respected
Tolerated
Prohibited--Outside
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

20. ©Lawrence M. Hinman http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
Five Questions
What is the present state?
What is the ideal state?
What is the minimally acceptable state?
How do we get from the present to the minimally acceptable state?
How do we get from the minimum to the ideal state?
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

21. Developing a Moral Stance
Here’s a way of visualizing these issues:
Flash Animation
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

22. What is the present state?
1) Overall, the actual state of race and ethnicity in American society is:
a) Excellent
B Very good
c) Good
d) Poor
e) Terrible
2) List three important facts that support your evaluation in #1 a) b) c)
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

23. What is the present state?--#2
#3. What are the three most important issues facing us in regard to race and ethnicity today? a) b) c)
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

24. What is the minimally acceptable state?
What are the minimum conditions necessary for a just society in regard to race and ethnicity? List at least three characteristics or conditions. #1 #2 #3
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

25. ©Lawrence M. Hinman http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
What is the ideal state?
What are the ideal conditions necessary for a just society in regard to race and ethnicity? List at least three characteristics or conditions. #1 #2 #3
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

26. How should we get from the present to the minimally acceptable state?
How should we get from the actual state to the minimally acceptable state? List specific ways of getting from the actual state of society to the minimal conditions listed earlier.
Examples: laws, taxes, regulations, protests, civil disobedience
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

27. How should we get from the present to the ideal state?
How should we get from the actual state to the ideal state? List specific ways of getting from the actual state of society to the ideal conditions listed above.
Examples: Public relations campaigns, education, tax incentives, laws
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

28. ©Lawrence M. Hinman http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
References
This presentation is available at:
Additional resources:
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©Lawrence M. Hinman

29. Appendix. Developing Moral Common Ground
Goals
Understanding
ourselves
others
the issue
Common Ground
agreement where appropriate
living with some disagreements
changing the situation
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©Lawrence M. Hinman