• What Is Ethical Relativism?

Popular Ethical Theories Relativism as defined by Merriam-Webster (2013), is a theory that knowledge is relative to the limited nature of the mind and the condition of knowing. Philosophically, relativism references that all points of view are equally credible, and that all truth is related to the individual (Westacott, 2005). Relativism can more specifically be defined as “the nature and existence of items of knowledge, qualities, values or logical entities non-trivially obtain their natures and/or existence from certain aspects of human activity, including, but not limited to, beliefs, cultures, languages, etc.” (Mosteller, 2008). The different types of relativism have two features in common. One feature is that the different types of relativism all attest to a certain viewpoint, like how morals are relative to a specific culture
Do ethical relativists, who believe in tolerance as a principle, believe people must tolerate intolerance (Velasquez et al., 1992)? Another, more concrete criticism is that many people believe there are ethical systems that are so odious that they should not be tolerated for the good of humanity (Velasquez et al., 1992). Slavery, for example, most people would agree, should not be tolerated, though it may not be consistent with the ethical positions held by many peoples around the world (Priestley, 2001). Finally, some behaviors based on culturally-specific ethical systems might be bad for the world at large (Priestley, 2001). For example, a nation that makes the ethical decision that regulation of industry is fundamentally wrong might engage in behaviors that lead to pollution, wage depression, and dangerous products sold in other markets (Priestley, 2001). Most people, while not arguing for an absolute system of ethics, would argue that ethical relativism has its limits (Priestley,