A Philosophical Analysis: Objective Values and Moral Relativism

This essay delves into the complex philosophical debate surrounding objective values and moral relativism. It begins by examining whether certain values should be universally considered right or wrong, using the example of arranged marriages and contrasting Western individualistic perspectives with cultural traditions. The essay then explores moral relativism, defining it as the absence of universal moral principles and discussing descriptive, metaethical, and normative relativism. It acknowledges the cultural definition of moral relativism, recognizing that different cultures have unique moral standards while also noting universally valid values. The meta-ethical perspective is considered, highlighting the belief that there are no objective grounds for preferring one culture's moral values over another's. Finally, the essay touches upon normative moral relativism, which posits that all societies should have uniform ethos. The essay concludes that moral relativism is true, influenced by diverse cultural contexts. Desklib offers a range of similar essays and study tools to aid students in their academic pursuits.

Running head: VALUE
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Name of student:
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Author note:

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1) Is there any value you think should be understood by everyone as an objective right or
wrong?
Ans.) In the Western culture, arranged marriage is perceived with negativity. This can be
attributed to the foundational premise of individualism that informs the cultural framework of the
western society. For the western people, the idea of their spouse being selected by their parent is
an attack on their individuality and seen as anomalous to their personal autonomy. Love
marriage represents the freedom to choose their partner and making the rush to the first love is
filled with excitement. Arranged marriage has a range of pitfalls. The first problem with arranged
marriage is that parents who select the partners for their children feel that they have more
experience than the children do. They are of the view that they can make better choice of
partners for their children and the choice of the children are considered to be impulsive and
lacking in depth. Children who do not conform to the decision of their parents have the fear of
being disowned by the parents and being banished from the family. Secondly, many young
people long for finding their soul mate, the possibility of an arranged marital union poses an
impediment to that aspiration. Children want to experience that intimacy with their partners on
different levels before making the final choice about the biggest decision of their life. However,
the motivation behind finding partners for the children is rooted in the idea of endogamy that
may be related to religious belief or race. Religious freedom is perceived as a threat to the
sanctity of the religion.

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2) Do you think moral relativism is true?
Ans.) The term moral relativism refers to the notion that there is no universal or absolute cluster
of moral principles. It is considered to be a version that advocates for the to each to her own and
those who abide by this philosophy argue that nobody should have the right to judge the life of
another person. Moral relativism are mainly of three types- descriptive moral relativism, meta-
ethical moral relativism and normative moral relativism. The cultural definition of moral

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relativism views that morality is defined by culture and therefore it is believed to be true.
Although there are certain values that are universally valid like the value of honesty or the incest
taboo and rape that is universally proscribed (Demuijnck 2015). Different cultures have their
own set of moral standards and interpretations of morality. Therefore drawing from this
argument it can be stated that moral relativism is true. The meta-ethical aspect of moral
relativism is of the view that there can be no objective grounds for the preference of moral values
of one culture over the other culture (Velleman 2015). There is a tendency among people to
believe that their culture upholds the most appropriate moral values. Moral principles are based
on the unique principles, ethics and customs prevalent in the society. However, from the
perspective of normative moral relativism it is believed that all societies should have universal
and uniform ethos governing their lives. Based on the above arguments it can be stated that
moral relativism is true and it s ultimately governed by the different cultures.
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References
Demuijnck, G., 2015. Universal values and virtues in management versus cross-cultural moral
relativism: An educational strategy to clear the ground for business ethics. Journal of Business
Ethics, 128(4), pp.817-835.
Levy, N., 2014. Moral relativism: A short introduction. Oneworld Publications.

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Velleman, J.D., 2015. Foundations for Moral Relativism: Second Expanded Edition. Open Book
Publishers.