PHI208 W1D1

After reading Chapter 2 of the textbook, reflect on the following:  What is an ethical belief that you feel strongly about, but you know is  not shared by some people of other cultures? This can be a belief that  certain things are right or good,

or that certain things are wrong or bad. (Be sure to differentiate  between cultures and societies – a society like that of the U.S.  contains many different cultures.)

1. Reflect on yourself:

What are the reasons for your belief? Try to explain as succinctly as  possible the main reason(s) why you have the belief that this is  right/wrong or good/bad.

Do you consider this to be something you were merely conditioned to  believe, or do you think these beliefs represent your own independent  thought and reflection? Explain.

2. Reflect on the other:

If you were to try to explain and defend the contrary beliefs of some  from another culture, how would you do that? (I.e., do your best to  speak from their point of view about why they hold certain beliefs on  this issue.)

If you had to identify an assumption, background conviction, or way  of thinking that best explains why someone from another culture would  have a different belief, what would that be?

3. Engage with the text:

Considering what the textbook says about moral relativism, would you  consider your belief to be objective or relative? That is, do you think  your belief is true (or at least stronger) in comparison to the other  culture’s, or do you think it’s merely relative to your own culture?

If you think it’s true (or stronger), explain why. If you think it’s  merely relative, choose one of the objections to relativism raised in  the text, briefly explain it, and defend your position against that  objection.