Transcript Ethical Pluralism as a Framework for Discussing Moral Disagreement

Ethical Relativism,
Absolutism,
and Pluralism
Lawrence M. Hinman, Ph.D.
University of San Diego
3/26/2016
Director, The Values Institute
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
1
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.
©Lawrence M. Hinman
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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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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Three Questions about the Meaning of
Relativism
What part of morality
is relative?
•Behavior
Morality is relative.
•Peripheral values
•Fundamental values
3/26/2016
How much of
morality is
relative?
•Individuals
•All
•Cultures
•Most
•Nations
•Some
•Groups
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
Relative to
what?
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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?
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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?
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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Attractions of Ethical Relativism





Need for tolerance and understanding where
abolutism can be intolerant
Fact of moral diversity: different strokes for
different folks
Lack of plausible alternative: what does everyone
accept?
Relativity of all understanding especially human
behavior.
Don’t cast the first stone: do we have the right to
judge others?
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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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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Ethical Relativism:
Solipsism





3/26/2016
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?
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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.
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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Ethical Relativism:
Overlapping Cultures, 3

The actual
situation in
today’s world is
much closer to the
diagram at the
right.
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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Ethical Pluralism

Principle of Understanding: understand
practices within the culture as a whole. Understanding need not
imply approival.

Principle of Tolerance: leave different cultures
room to pursue their own moral vision.

Principle of Standing Up Against Evil:
speak out against offenses – different from relativism.

Principle of Fallibility: we can be wrong in our
beliefs – different from moral absolutism.
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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Five Questions

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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?
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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Developing a Moral Stance
Here’s a way of visualizing these
issues:
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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What is the present state?

1) Overall, the actual state of race and
ethnicity in American society is:
–
–
–
–
–

a)
B
c)
d)
e)
Excellent
Very good
Good
Poor
Terrible
2) List three important facts that support
your evaluation in #1
– a)
– b)
– c)
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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)
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
27
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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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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
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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Appendix.
Developing Moral Common
Ground
Goals
 Understanding
– ourselves
– others
– the issue

Common Ground
– agreement where appropriate
– living with some disagreements
– changing the situation
3/26/2016
©Lawrence M. Hinman
http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/
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