Question

Summarize two major arguments made by James Rachels that leads to conclusion that ethical relativism is a mistaken.

Answer 1

Two major arguments offered by Rachels that leads to be conclusion that ethical relativism is mistaken are as follows:

1. If we held cultural relativism, we could no longer say that the customs of other societies are morally wrong. For example, the Holocaust is justified because there is no basis in the nature of things to ever say that a cultural practice is ethically preferable to the other.
2. If we held cultural relativism, we could decide whether actions are right or wrong just by consulting the standards of our society. What makes something wrong would therefore be what other people say it is wrong.