Ethics in Social Science: Absolutism, Relativism, and Determinism

This essay delves into various ethical theories relevant to social science. It begins by examining universal ethical egoism, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses, and then explores the divine command theory, discussing its advantages and disadvantages in providing a foundation for morality. The essay further analyzes Confucian role ethics, emphasizing its focus on relationality and moral development, while also acknowledging its limitations. It contrasts moral absolutism, which asserts universal moral commandments, with relativism, which views moral values as dependent on societal and cultural contexts. Finally, the essay discusses religious determinism, also known as theological determinism, which posits that all events are predetermined by God, considering its implications and limitations, particularly for those who do not adhere to religious beliefs. The essay concludes by noting the challenges in reconciling absolutist and relativist perspectives due to their fundamentally different views on morality and the existence of a divine authority. Desklib provides access to similar essays and study tools for students.

Running head: SOCIAL SCIENCE 1
Social Science
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I. Question one
Universal Ethical Egoism is a philosophy that applies universally and states that every
person can act and pursue their interests. Universal ethical egoism is considered as the most
powerful because it is deemed to be comprehensive and can apply overboard everyone. For
example, a person will decide if to settle a dispute in court or amicably by sitting down and
listening to the other individual who offended them outside the court (Broad, 2014).
The Key Strengths of Universal Egoism.
It is simple and clear to determine personal interest.
The universal ethical egoism is the best option compared to the individual and personal
ethical egoism.
The universal ethical egoism promotes individual dependability, freedom and responsibility.
The Problems Associated With Universal Ethical Egoism
The theory does not clearly define what everyone means it.
It is difficult to give moral advice following the universal ethical egoism as an individual is at
free will do as per their interest.
Universal ethical egoism does not provide support to professional like the medical
practitioners in case one is in a difficult they only act as per their own will (Broad, 2014).
Question 2
Divine command theory argues that molarity among people in the community is
dependent on God and any moral obligations come from the obedience to God’s
commandments. This theory states that anything that is morally correct is what God
commands. The details and content for divine command theory vary as per different
religions, but all the versions of the philosophy are common to what God commands. For
instance, charity is morally correct because God endorses it in the holy books and murder is
morally wrong because God condemns it in the sacred books and commandments (Broad,

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2014). The way to know if something is morally right is by checking if it is in line with God’s
commandments if the Gods commandment permits it then it is morally right (Rowan, 2018).
Advantages of Divine command theory
Divine command theory provides an objective metaphysical foundation for molarity as it
advocates in following what God says like getting involved in charity activities in the society.
Divine command theory gives the human race a right answer of why people should be moral;
this is because we need to be moral because morality is grounded ink God. Those who
indulge in evil activities will be punished and those who do good will receive a crown
(Stephens, 2018).
Disadvantages of Divine command theory
There is no adequate information and clarity about punishment and reward as stated in Gods
Commandment.
Molarity requires faith in God and believe in the life afterwards. Those people who do not
believe in God means they are considered morally wrong.
Question 3
Confucian part morals is an endeavor to verbalize a sui generis moral rationality that
enables this convention to have its particular voice. This all-encompassing theory is grounded
in the supremacy of relationality and is a test to primary liberal independence that has
characterized people as discrete, self-governing, reasonable, free, and regularly self-intrigued
operators (Fleischhut, et al 2017).
Confucian part morals starts from a socially constituted origination of individual,
takes family parts and relations as the passage point for creating moral fitness, conjures
moral, creative ability and the development in ties that it can move as the substance of human
ethical quality, and involves a human-focused, a-mystical religiousness that stands in sharp
complexity to the Abrahamic religions. For example, when a child is born, they already have

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their talents inborn like singing acting and so much more, this shows that man is born good
(Uhlmann, 2015)On the contrary, there are those people who indulge in evil and bad things
like stealing and killing (Stephens, 2018).
Advantages of Confucian role ethics
Outlines that man is born good with lasting goodwill in his life.
Confucian ethics outlines the respect for family and parents in the society.
Confucian ethics helps individual achieve satisfaction as it states that satisfaction comes in
fulfilling ones roles and roles are not derived from individualism; roles are derived from
valuable relationships (Rowan, 2018).
The weakness of Confucian role ethics.
There is not enough evidence to quantify what happens when a person is naturally evil and
does terrible things.
There are people who do not have family and do not value relationships due to the past
occurrences in their lives like street children and orphans.
There is no enough quantification of a valuable relationship (Rowan, 2018).
Question 4
The theory of moral absolutism argues that moral commandments are right and
correct at all times and across all the cultures and religions. For example, murder and stealing
are universally wrong regardless of their results and the circumstances in which they occur.
Absolutism theories are deontological because they do not consider the after effects
(Wainwright, 2017).
On the other hand, relativism theory sees moral values as entirely relative to various
societies, communities, and contexts. Therefore determining whether an action is wrong or
right is dependent on different nations or cultures in which the activities take place
(Fleischhut, et al 2017).Relativism at some point may consider the aftermath of the moral

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actions in giving judgement if an act is wrong or right. Relativism theories are teleological.
For example, one may kill someone against their will due to the action of self-defense, this
action can be considered right in a particular culture (Bell, 2017).
In conclusion, it is not possible to come to a common ground with absolutism and
relativism theory because both of them has a diverse view concerning what is morally right
and what is morally wrong. Absolutism does not take account of any historical development
concerning a situation, it does not also take into account any differences in culture, nor does it
take into account the circumstances of the case. The view of only good morals comes from
God is limiting to get into a common ground with challenges faced by the relativism theory
which is also diverse in its own way, for instance, in relativism the approach advocates that
there is no absolute God, and hence people are at free will to do as per their wishes and does
not give a room for growth and advancement in the society. The various thoughts of
absolutism that there is a God and the other one of relativism that there is no God provides a
hard ground for negotiation and problem-solving (Broad, 2014).
Question 5
Religious theory of determinism is also the theological determinism which argues that
all the occurrences and events that happen are predetermined and pre-ordained by God. For
instance, when an individual decides to support the orphans and take care of them, this is
charity work which is predetermined by God, God orders it and clearly stated in the in the
commandments of God. The person helping an orphan is doing so because they are following
Gods commandments (Bell, 2017).
The disadvantage of the theological determinism is that all the people do not believe
in God. For people to be considered to act morally right, they must be believers of God and
the life afterwards.

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References
Bell, D.A. (2017) A Comment on Confucian Role Ethics. In Reconceptualizing
Confucian Philosophy in the 21st Century (pp. 111-116). Springer, Singapore.
Broad, C.D.( 2014) Five types of ethical theory. Routledge.
Fleischhut, N., Meder, B. and Gigerenzer, G. (2017) Moral hindsight. Experimental
psychology.
Rowan, J. (2018) Conflicts of rights: moral theory and social policy implications.
Routledge.
Stephens, D.J. (2018) Confucian Ethics and The Practical Value of Roles. Philosophy
East and West, 68(3), pp.909-928.
Uhlmann, E.L., Pizarro, D.A. and Diermeier, D. (2015) A person-centered approach
to moral judgment. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(1), pp.72-81.
Wainwright, W.J. (2017) Religion and morality. Routledge.