Ethical Relativism.

Essay by phetamineCollege, Undergraduate December 2005

download word file, 2 pages 4.0

Ethical relativism seems to be a term that means there is no true right or wrong, only what you believe is to be right and wrong. With this being said, I believe there is really no choice but to support it or at least realize that different people have different raisings. If one looks at several different cultures they would see they all have different definitions of what is right and what is wrong. Some may view cannibalism as ritualistic while most in today's world obviously view it as a taboo thing to do. While a man dressing in woman's clothing may be viewed as disgusting in one person's homeland, there are some countries that have days set aside each year in order for people to do this and celebrate with out being viewed as an oddity. While a person should abide by what he believes in, he should also be open minded or at least willing to acknowledge that other people have different beliefs and backgrounds.

In today's world people are raised being taught to obey the "golden rule" which states; do unto others as you would have them do unto you. While this is a good rule for some it may not be good for others for several reasons. The main reason is that different people have different beliefs, which would mean they do not mind, or they expect, for things to be done to them that others would rather not have done to them. John Locke states that all people are entitled to life itself, liberty and the ability to pursue that which makes us happy. So, does this mean that Manson and his followers were right for killing Sharon Tate only because it brought them happiness or does it mean they are wrong because they took...