Deck 3: Ethical Relativism

Question 1

What do you think Ruth Benedict would say about the morality of gay marriages in America in light of the fact that it is becoming more common?

Answer 1

No Answer

Question 2

Describe the four major approaches to dealing with moral differences outlined in the beginning of this chapter. Explain the approach that is closest to your own position.

Answer 2

No Answer

Question 3

Why is hard universalism (sometimes called moral absolutism) the attitude most often supported by ethical theories as well as the attitude toward morals in everyday life? What does this say about the nature of ethics as a theoretical or reflective endeavor? Why might one prefer the consistency and universalism of this approach?

Answer 3

No Answer

Question 4

Differentiate between descriptive and normative ethics. Can we always distinguish between descriptive and normative judgment?

Question 5

Describe the theory of ethical relativism and illustrate it with an example from the text.

Question 6

Discuss the implications of the story about the Persian king Darius, the Greeks, and the Callatians.

Question 7

What kind of claim is Ruth Benedict making when she states that there are no universal moral standards? Explain the statement "We have no right to claim that our choice is better than any other culture's."

Question 8

If one is to follow the idea of ethical relativism to its logical conclusion, then we would have no right to criticize or praise other cultures. Do you agree with this outcome? Why or why not?

Question 9

If we accept ethical relativism, why must we "bow to moral majority rule"? Should we assume that the position of power will flow out of a democratic, numerical majority? Compare the situation in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime (1996-2001).

Question 10

According to the theory of ethical relativism, what is the problem between professed morality and actual morality when it comes to assessing "normality" in a community? If moral norms are subjective between communities, how do specific communities enforce their norms on their individual members?

Question 11

Explain why it is illogical to say that the claims made by ethical relativism are correct and at the same time that everybody ought to tolerate the moral views and traditions of other cultures.

Question 12

Explain the problem of induction as it relates to the debate about moral norms.

Question 13

What are the three values that were considered universal by James Rachels? Can you think of any others?

Question 14

According to James Rachels, what is the reason behind all surviving cultures sharing certain moral values? Do you agree with him? Explain.

Question 15

Describe the difference between inclusive and exclusive multiculturalism using the example of a school.

Question 16

What does it mean to be an American? Discuss the notion of a "hyphenated American."

Question 17

Explain how Alice Walker's novel Possessing the Secret of Joy can be viewed as an attack on ethical relativism. How might an ethical relativist respond to Alice Walker's attack?

Question 18

In the context of the theme of female genital mutilation in Alice Walker's novel Possessing the Secret of Joy, do you find ethical relativism to be an appealing or a problematic moral theory? Explain your view.

Question 19

Barbara Kingsolver's novel The Poisonwood Bible can be said to advocate an ethical relativist view or a soft universalist view. In your opinion, which view does Kingsolver support? Explain.

Question 20

Do you think that the film Avatar represents the Na'vi culture as having better values than those of the colonel and his team? How would an ethical relativist logically answer this question? Explain.

Question 21

Naturalism holds the viewpoint that

A) there is no ultimate moral foundation for our laws because they are based on mere consensus.
B) laws reflect or ought to reflect a set of universal moral standards that apply to all people.
C) some laws are contextual and relative and others reflect universal moral standards.
D) laws reflect or ought to reflect values found throughout all of nature and the animal kingdom.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT a major approach to study the phenomenon of moral differences?

A) Hard universalism
B) Ethical relativism
C) Ethical egoism
D) Soft universalism

Question 23

Which of the following is a similarity between the three theories of moral nihilism, moral skepticism, and moral subjectivism?

A) They have no conflict-solving capacity.
B) They point to the existence of universal moral values.
C) They are subcategories of ethical relativism.
D) They are more flexible and appealing than hard universalism.

Question 24

Which of the following is a similarity between moral subjectivism and ethical relativism?

A) They view moral values as relative.
B) They have excellent problem-solving capacities.
C) They force us to bow to majority rule.
D) They have nothing in common.

Question 25

Induction is a problem for ethical relativism because

A) induction persuades people to think for themselves instead of following cultural norms.
B) with induction it can never be known for certain whether enough material has been accumulated to conclude that there are no universal moral values.
C) according to induction the key argument proposed by ethical relativism is faulty.
D) induction does not distinguish between actual and professed morality.

Question 26

Which of the following is true of Ruth Benedict's theory of ethical relativism?

A) Normality is culturally defined.
B) The concept of the normal is a variant of the concept of good in a cultural context.
C) The majority of any group conforms to the values of the group; the deviants are few.
D) All answer choices are correct.

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT a main argument against ethical relativism?

A) Ethical relativism forces us to bow to moral majority rule.
B) If ethical relativism is followed to its logical conclusion, then there will be no basis for criticizing or praising other cultures.
C) In ethical relativism, it is hard to determine whether the morality is professed morality or the actual morality of the majority in a group.
D) Ethical relativism permits people to do anything they want since there are no universal moral rules.

Question 28

Suppose a mother is part of a community that generally supports the idea that both parents should work and contribute to a middle-class standard of living. Furthermore, she is also part of a religious community that believes that mothers should remain at home and raise children even if it means having a lower standard of living. According to the theory of ethical relativism, which of the following should the mother do?

A) She should work because she would be following the moral conventions of the larger, more inclusive culture.
B) She should stay at home because that would allow her to follow the moral conventions of her religion, which trumps all other groups.
C) She can choose to either work or stay at home because she will be moral in either case. She would still be following the moral conventions of at least one of the groups.
D) Ethical relativism fails to say what she should do because she is a member of two different cultures with conflicting moral values. This illustrates one of the shortcomings of ethical relativism.

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT one of the three universal moral values suggested by James Rachels?

A) a rule against lying
B) a policy of caring for enough infants to ensure the continuation of the group
C) a rule against incest
D) a rule against murder

Question 30

Who among the following expressed the claim "Mankind has always preferred to say, 'It is morally good,' rather than 'it is habitual.' . . . But historically the two phrases are synonymous"?

A) James Rachels
B) Ruth Benedict
C) John Steinbeck
D) Barbara Kingsolver

Question 31

Who among the following argued that "The culture-neutral standard is whether the social practice in question is harmful or beneficial to the people who are affected by it"?

A) James Rachels
B) John Steinbeck
C) Alice Walker
D) Barbara Kingsolver

Question 32

According to John Steinbeck, the American way of life can best be described as

A) stars and stripes.
B) idealism and realism.
C) paradox and dream.
D) absolutism and relativism.

Question 33

Which of the following is the culturally sensitive topic of Alice Walker's narrative Possessing the Secret of Joy?

A) female infanticide
B) male circumcision
C) female circumcision
D) euthanasia

Question 34

In Barbara Kingsolver's novel The Poisonwood Bible, Nathan Price's daughter Leah _____.

A) is the only one of Price's daughters who, through the years, stands by her father
B) finds her love and life's work in the politics of revolutionary Africa and lives an African life
C) becomes the voice of longing for her lost American culture of affluence and convenience
D) comes to terms with a physical disability afflicting her since childhood, seeing herself in light of another culture

Question 35

Which of the following best describes Barbara Kingsolver's novel The Poisonwood Bible?

A) an argument against ethical relativism
B) an argument in favor of ethical relativism
C) an argument in favor of hard universalism
D) an argument in favor of moral nihilism

Question 36

In the film Avatar, Jake is regarded as a traitor by

A) the U.S. military.
B) the Na'vi.
C) both the U.S. military and the Na'vi.
D) neither the U.S. military nor the Na'vi.

Question 37

People in some cultures feel that it is their moral obligation to dispose of their seniors when they become unproductive.

Question 38

There is no difference between what is moral and what is legal.

Question 39

Hard universalism is the theory that we are each entitled to our own moral opinion and that there is no universal moral code.

Question 40

The moral nihilist believes that there are no universal moral values; that is, each culture has its own set of rules that are valid for that culture.

Question 41

A good way to test a moral theory is to examine its capacity for solving conflicts.

Question 42

King Darius found that the Callatians refused to give up eating their dead.

Question 43

Cultural relativism is a normative theory.

Question 44

Cultural relativism states that different cultures have different moral codes.

Question 45

Ethical relativism is a normative theory.

Question 46

A normative ethical theory involves a moral judgment, evaluation, or justification.

Question 47

Ruth Benedict tells of the Northwest Coast Indians that when the chief's sister died the tribe set out to find the culprits who killed her and kill them.

Question 48

Ruth Benedict claims that what is normal for a culture is not what is moral in that culture.

Question 49

Ruth Benedict states that morality is culturally defined.

Question 50

Ethical relativism cannot logically make a claim that tolerance is universally good, since it also claims that there are no universal values.

Question 51

One of the arguments against ethical relativism is that the theory does not distinguish between the actual morality and the professed morality of a culture.

Question 52

It is as easy to find out who is right in a discussion of moral issues as it is to settle questions of geography.

Question 53

The problem of induction is that it persuades people to think for themselves.

Question 54

One of the universal cultural values suggested by James Rachels is a rule against incest.

Question 55

According to an interdisciplinary study conducted by Oliver Scott Curry and his colleagues, the fundamental common denominator for all cultures around the world is that humans are a cooperating species.

Question 56

A hard universalist hopes to be able to agree with others on some basic issues, but not on all issues.

Question 57

Soft universalism claims there are some core values that all cultures share.

Question 58

In the primary readings, Ruth Benedict illustrates the extent to which morality is culturally defined by referring to a Melanesian culture that displays extreme fears of poisoning.

Question 59

James Rachels argues that there are no culture-neutral moral standards.

Question 60

In Alice Walker's novel Possessing the Secret of Joy, the African tribal practice of female circumcision is strongly condemned.

Question 61

Barbara Kingsolver's novel The Poisonwood Bible strongly defends the hard universalism of Nathan Price, and as such it can be viewed as a criticism of ethical relativism, because it is critical of tribal customs.