Philosophy Radio! drlabasham777's Podcast
Society & Culture:Philosophy
Hi philosophers!
Today, in a moving account, the Rancher shares his execution of his aging horse. He approaches the event as an existentialist about Ethics, and so, about social and political society. He is a subjectivist, unhappy,
Subjectivism is the basis of cultural relativism in the sense that the formulation is almost the same, but in cultural relativism, we're just taking a poll...70%? Ok, that's the new morality. And it could be anything...
Subjectivism (or minimal existentialism) has this formulation,
X is moral (or not) if and only if X is believed by a person to be moral (or not), when it it is believed to be moral (or not), by the person believing it.
Compare to CR,
X is moral if and only if X is believed by the culture to be moral (or not), when it is it is believed (or not), for that culture.
The Rancher's story illustrates the fundamental tension between subjectivism--cultural relativity restricted to just one person--and moral realism; the claim Ethics, and the conduct of societies along the lines of Justice, both have their basis not in unconstrained personal choice but in an objective moral reality.
Cultural relativism (CR) and subjectivism claim morality is a human invention--just made up by one or more people. CR is an orthodoxy (not to be questioned) view in some of the "social sciences".
Objective, realist Ethics and Justice Theory says no, the basis of morality is an objective reality beyond our preferences or control. Recall the Buffalo?
Enjoy!
Quick question for your thoughts: Are you making up, out of nowhere, what you do when you think your doing what is right, or wrong, or are you finding yourself in a complex set of factors, beyond your control or moreover, deletion, that define the contours, the shape, of real Moral reality and Justice?
Cheers~
Dr. Lee Basham
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