PHI 2604 Chapter 2: Subjectivism, Relativism, and Emotivism

subjective relativism

An action is morally right if one approves of it.

cultural relativism

An action is morally right if one's culture approves of it.

In some cultures, it is considered immoral to have premarital sex. In other cultures, it is not considered wrong. What would an objectivist say about this moral disagreement?

One of the cultures must be mistaken.

Imagine that next year a small movement begins in this country that seeks to change the public's mind about an important moral issue. If cultural relativism is true, what should we say about this movement?

The movement is mistaken.

What is the connection between a moral belief being universal and that belief being objective?

There is no connection.

What do subjective relativism, cultural relativism, and objectivism all have in common?

They all say that moral claims can be true or false.

In her ethics class, Jessica has studied many controversial issues like abortion. Jessica believes that abortion is morally acceptable. If subjective relativism is true, then Jessica's belief is

correct.

Moral objectivism and subjective relativism agree on one thing:_______. This differentiates them from_________.

there are moral truths, emotivism.

How would an emotivist describe the statement "Happiness is good"?

neither true nor false

It is a ____________ belief among cultures that massive amounts of killing for no reason is wrong, because if a culture rejected such a belief, they would not ___________.

universal, survive.

What would a cultural relativist say about the issue of female genital cutting (FGC)?

Correct Answer(s) It is wrong if one's culture disapproves of it. Incorrect Answer(s) It is wrong if the individual it is happening to believes it is wrong., It is right if the person consents to it., It is right if it serves a valuable function.

emotivism

Moral utterances are neither true nor false, but are expressions of emotions or attitudes.

According to emotivism, when someone says, "Stealing is wrong," what does their statement actually mean?

"Stealing? Boo!"

In the 1950s in the southern United States, racial segregation was widespread; white people and black people had different swimming pools, water fountains, and schools. This kind of segregation no longer exists. Why is it difficult for the cultural relativist to say that the United States has made progress?

Correct Answer(s) According to the cultural standards of the time, segregation was good., There are no objective standards for judging cultures across time. Incorrect Answer(s) Occasionally, some individuals today still approve of the segregation of the 1950s., Cultural relativism only says that cultures disagree about morality, not what is actually right or wrong.,

Some people use widespread disagreement about morality to argue for cultural relativism. This argument assumes that if people's judgments about some issue differ from culture to culture, then there are no objective truths about that issue. Which of the following examples pose a problem for that assumption?

Correct Answer(s) Some cultures believe that God exists, while others do not., Some cultures believed that the earth was flat, while some cultures now believe it is not. Incorrect Answer(s) Some cultures find body art to be beautiful, while others do not., Some cultures find raw fish to be delicious, while others do not.,

Imagine there is a culture that believes that people are morally obligated to give their belongings and money to the poor, up to the point where they become poor themselves. If cultural relativism is true, what does that imply about this culture's beliefs?

Correct Answer(s) The culture's beliefs are true. Incorrect Answer(s) The culture's beliefs are based on good reasons., The culture's beliefs are too extreme., The culture's beliefs are not universal.

Shivam and Sahar agree that it is wrong to steal, unless you are in great need through no fault of your own. How could they end up disagreeing about whether it is morally acceptable for Claire to steal?

Correct Answer(s) They could disagree about whether Claire is in great need due to her own decisions., They could disagree about whether Claire is in great need. Incorrect Answer(s) They could be subjective relativists., They could be objectivists about morality.

If subjective relativism is true, then how are opinions about morality similar to opinions about the taste of food?

Correct Answer(s) You can't be mistaken about which soda you like or what is morally right., There is no objective standard about what tastes good or what is morally right., People who like different flavors of ice cream and people who have different moral beliefs are not disagreeing with each other. Incorrect Answer(s) Tastes about food and beliefs about morality are always determined by the culture one grows up in.

Maria believes that abortion is morally acceptable, and she thinks that those with a pro-life position are mistaken in their moral view. Based on this information, which of the following moral views could Maria be using to inform her belief?

Correct Answer(s) cultural relativism, moral objectivism Incorrect Answer(s) subjective relativism, emotivism,

Jason believes that it is true that capital punishment is morally wrong, even though he knows that his culture approves of capital punishment. Based on this information, which of the following moral views could Jason be using to inform his belief?

Correct Answer(s) subjective relativism, moral objectivism Incorrect Answer(s) cultural relativism, emotivism

If emotivism is true, and moral claims like "It is wrong to break promises" cannot be true or false, what is the point of making such claims?

Correct Answer(s) to express emotion, to influence the behavior of someone else Incorrect Answer(s) to make claims about what is good or bad, to advocate a moral code,

According to emotivism, claims like "People generally approve of capital punishment" cannot be true or false.

False

According to moral objectivism, there are objective moral rules, all of which have no exceptions.

False.

Aubrey and Derek are discussing the morality of capital punishment. Aubrey believes that capital punishment is immoral, and Derek believes it is morally acceptable. If cultural relativism is true, how should they resolve their disagreement?

Find a reliable poll of public opinion on the issue of capital punishment.

Miguel lives in a country where the culture generally accepts the morality of abortion. However, Miguel is also a traditional Catholic, and in Catholic culture, abortion is not generally accepted. If Miguel is a cultural relativist, what should he believe about abortion?

It is unclear what Miguel should believe.

moral objectivism

Moral truths exist independently of what individuals or societies think of them.

Suppose you judge the actions of other people to be morally wrong. What does subjective relativism say about these judgments?

Such judgments cannot be mistaken.

Camila lives in a society where eating animals is considered right, and she agrees. Which moral view is Camila using to inform this belief?

We do not have enough information to say.

Eric approves of affirmative action and believes that it is right, regardless of whether his culture believes it is right. What moral view is Eric using to inform this belief?

We do not have enough information to say.