-
Essay / Understanding Moral Relativism and Utilitarianism
Moral Relativism and UtilitarianismMoral values surely differ from one society to another. It is the charm that makes up our world and allows us to evaluate and consider different methodologies and opinions. Generally, different cultural factors of a society's environment, such as weather, religion, population density, etc., directly affect and contribute to said society's adoption of specific morals and acceptable laws , whether or not they are acceptable to another company. For example, the drought that hit California in previous years placed restrictions on water and created a high awareness of water conservation among the population, where most citizens valued and greatly respected available water supplies and took it upon themselves to reduce their water consumption. In contrast, another state, like Vermont, which typically enjoys abundant rainfall, where its citizens likely don't care as much about water conservation, perhaps leaving the sink open with water flowing regularly while brushing their teeth, or casually. play with the “slip and slide” with continuous running water to cool down on the hottest summer days. These two societies, due to their environmental circumstances, obviously have different moral values regarding water use. Another example to consider, on a larger scale, could be that of China, from 1979 to very recently 2014, when it adopted the "one child per family policy", intended to control the overpopulation problems of their country. (1) To enforce this, there have been fines for "mistakes", pressure to abort additional pregnancies, and even "forced sterilizations" for "some" women after they had already been blessed with a child . (1) These measures are certainly extreme and unacceptable to us Americans, as we have and do not experience similar circumstances, but what should we do with such different morals, whether on a personal or professional level? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Having a universal code of morality would be unrealistic, but simply because we are not subject to the same cultural factors or circumstances as others, we should that give us the right to judge these societies or rather to understand and accept these variations? Since it is differences that bring about improvement and progress, it is obvious that we must accept the diversities of our societies and possibly respect them when we visit or work within their communities. Just as normative moral relativism suggests, “who can say who is right and who is wrong?” we must show tolerance towards any new situation. Exceptions may apply, of course, if these different morals or values are fiercely opposed to yours, for example in the case of the abuse of women in India, where it would then be our moral and ethical obligation to speak out, to challenge and properly educate for possible change and improvement of such immoral activity. The differences within the world's societies are most interesting and should be accepted within reasonable limits. Like-minded individuals and businesses tend to come together to form harmonious communities. It's up to us to find the company that we like best and that most shares our personal and professional ethical convictions. Keep in mind: this is just a sample..