Ethical relativism is the theory that holds that morality is
relative to the norms of one's culture. That is, whether an action
is right or wrong depends on the moral norms of the society in
which it is practiced. The same action may be morally right in one
society but be morally wrong in another.
There are two basic kinds of ethical relativism: subjective
ethical relativism and conventional (or cultural) ethical
relativism. The two kinds of relativism are defined as
follows:
Subjective ethical relativism view that:
(i) there are no absolute or universally true moral principles;
and
(ii) the truth of moral principles is relative to
individuals.
Conventional or Cultural ethical relativism view that:
(i) there are no absolute or universally true moral principles;
and
(ii) the truth of moral principles is relative to
cultures.
Cultural Relativism / Conventionalism is based on two
claims:
1. Diversity Thesis: – What is considered morally right and
wrong varies from society to society, so that there are no moral
principles accepted by all societies.
The Diversity Thesis is nothing more than the observation that
not everybody agrees what the most important values are, or what
obligations humans have to one another, or what actions are
forbidden by moral law, etc. In other words, the Diversity Thesis
merely affirms that different people believe different things about
morality.
2. Dependency Thesis: – All moral principles derive their
validity from cultural acceptance.The acceptance of moral
principles is itself the product of historical accident. The moral
code to which we adhere is ultimately arbitrary.