Value Theory

Ethics: moral goodness, obligations, principles, justification; why be moral?

Social-Political Philosophy: justice, rights, responsibilities, the state, law

Aesthetics: art, beauty Meaning of life

Cultural Relativism:Moral values are relative to one’s culture

There are no universally held values–Objection: this is simply false; universal

values are interpreted differently

Ethical Absolutism: one set of moral values applies to all people and cultures

Relative vs. absolute Subjective vs. objective

Ethical relativism:no set of values ought to be applied to allObjections:• The existence of moral differences does not justify them (“is does not imply ought”)

• If a culture’s values were always “right,” there could be no moral development or progress

• We would have to tolerate even cruel cultures• It is difficult to define the boundaries of which

culture or subculture a person’s acts reflect

(Naturalistic Fallacy)