Transcript Ethics 1.5 HB Fuller Case (Relativism)

Absolutism vs relativism 6
• Cultural relativism: value priorities and moral
judgements in fact differ across cultures. eg gift giving &
bribery; employing family members, etc.
• Moral relativism: the above difference is fundamentally
morally justified. The practices should be different,
ought to be different. Moral reasoning is itself a cultural
invention or artifact (dangerous idea, like deep-pluralism)
• Moral Absolutism: Cultural relativism is indeed an
accurate description, but ultimately the same
“absolute” ethical principles do apply to all societies.
For example, it might be argued that cannibalism (eating
people) is absolutely morally wrong. If a society does
practice cannibalism (or allows glue sniffing) it has not
yet developed a high enough moral consciousness.
• But what about bribery? Nepotism? Extreme situations
like the Andes Air Crash survival story? (more later)
Donaldson (p471) & HB Fuller case 6
• 90% of fortune 500 have codes of conduct. Why?
• 70% have mission statements, like HB Fuller (less in
UK).
• There are common core values PLUS “moral free space”
where context is important and judgement is needed
• The following core non-Western (Asian, traditional)
values all have Western equivalents, but these are all in
tension with (Global) Capitalism.
Kyosie (work for the common good), Santutthi (limit your
desires), Zakat (help the poor)
Although Donaldson does not say it, the issue is really
ideological (left-right) rather than cultural. These
tensions are at the core of the “HB Fuller in Honduras”
case.