[Yasa]

What's your view on morals?

Objective Moralist - morals exist above and beyond human perception and there is an absolute, unchanging criteria that judges what is right and what is wrong.

Cultural Relativist - what is right and wrong all depends on the views of your culture/country/society. The collective opinions of the major population of your culture dictate what is right and wrong.

Personal Relativist - what is right and wrong all depends on the views of yourself as an individual. Your personal opinion and view dictates what is right and wrong.

Moral Nihilist- morals do not exist in any objective sense. What is right and wrong is similar to asking what flavour of bubblegum is the best.



I have probably misrepresented most or all of these headings in some way, however if you'd like to comment on just how exactly you feel regarding the issue, I encourage it!

As for myself, I am a strong moral nihilist.

Problems with Moral Relativism (cultural/personal)

Although cultural relativism was what I first believed, I now see every form of moral relativity simply as adding to the nihilist argument. Under both personal and cultural relativism, these subjective views often lead to contradicting opinions about right and wrong, as the times change (think slavery, etc.). Cultural relativism also implies that all minorities and revolutionaries, etc. are in the wrong. Personal relativism obviously can lead to many opposing views of what is right, which is a logical impossibility (after all, who is right: the serial killer, or the pacifist?).

Recall that the implications of relative morality means that if the culture deems something 'right', then is actually is right. As is the same with personal relativism. Such implications imply that an objective, absolute standard can change when the views change--something rather contradictory.

Problems with Objective Morality

It is quite clear that there is no absolute set of morals to which all of humankind adheres. So, how do we know who's standard is the true objective one? The religious of all sorts will claim it is theirs. Similar to different cultures believing their morals are correct, the different religions do just the same. No scripture is grounds enough to determine this answer because:
-scripture is written by humans, with no evidence of any divine intervention--faith is not an adequate reason to view one set of morals as objective rather than another.
- there is undoubtedly not only one scripture in the world to which we could use as a reference.
-many things written in scripture that were considered okay are now considered wrong--defenders of this objective standard must bite the bullet and accept everything that was written as right (ex. look to the Old Testaments for examples).

Also, what is right and wrong can only be considered by those conscious enough to perceive a situation. As such, it is perception that defines what is right and wrong and thus, without the beings with said consciousness, morality doesn't exist. After all, there is nothing right or wrong for a rock, the Earth, the galaxy, or the universe--further discouraging the idea of objective rights and wrongs.

Problems with Moral Nihilism


Moral nihilists are criticized in that many claims they can't have a say in what is right or wrong because they don't believe in them.

This is true when right and wrong are taken in a objective sense. However, I think moral nihilists are able to defend what they feel to be 'right' or 'wrong' in the same way they are able to defend what kind of ice cream flavour is the best. While knowing they don't believe in a objective answer, they can speak for what they think would be best based on a personal and subjective level. This is where moral nihilists and cultural relativists can see eye to eye on many issues. The only difference is, under cultural relativism, whatever is considered right at the time is viewed as objectively right--something to which I have already criticized above.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you will share your arguments for your position and against mine.