This document differentiates between theories of ethical subjectivism, relativism, and objectivism. Ethical subjectivism holds that moral judgments are subjective feelings and there are no universal right or wrong answers. Cultural relativism claims that ethics differ between cultures, so what is right in one may be wrong in another. Moral objectivism argues that there are universal principles, such as prohibitions against murder, that are common across societies and necessary for social cooperation. The document examines these theories in relation to business ethics and determining what makes an act morally good or bad.
2. Learning Objectives:
♦Differentiate the various theories of
subjectivism, relativism and objectivism
♦Explain theories in relation to the
phenomenon of globalization and
international business ethics
♦Give concrete examples of business
practices where the various theories
are being applied
3. What is the basis of a morally
good act? In other words,
who or what decides
whether an act is morally
good or bad?
Or as one scholar would call
his work, “Who’s to say,
What’s right or wrong?”
4. Ethical Subjectivism
asserts that moral
judgments are really feelings,
not facts, that there are no
right and wrong answers, and
each person is entitled to his
or her own views.
5. “Individuals need not justify or
explain their decisions or
actions to anyone, since it is
their subjective choice.”
8. Cultural Relativism
The ethical theory called moral/
ethical relativism is a logical
result of the claims of cultural
relativism.
9. Prominent business ethicist Norman
Bowie defined cultural relativism as a
“descriptive claim that ethical
practices differ among
cultures, that, as a matter of
fact, what is considered right
in one culture may be
considered wrong in another
culture.”
10. Ethics scholar James Rachel
notes on the interesting but
seemingly scandalous practices
of the Eskimos.
They practice infanticide, lend their
wives to their visitors as a sign of
hospitality, and just abondon their
old and feeble people in the snow
to die.
11. Rachel notes what King Darius of
Ancient Persia had exclaimed:
“Culture is the lord over
them all.”
12. The difference in culture as validly
claim by cultural relativism gave
birth to an ethical theory --
ethical/moral relativism.
Moral relativism is the claim that
what is really right or wrong is
what the culture says is right or
wrong.
13. Richard de George
“When in Rome, do as the
Romans do.”
Norman Bowie
“One has to abide by the ethical
norms of the culture where one is
located.”
14. • What are those values and
principles that are possibly
common among all cultures,
societies and group of people?
15. maintains that there are moral
principles that have universal
validity regardless of time, place
and culture.
In other words, the moral objectivist
claims that morality is neither
subjective nor culturally relative.
MORAL
OBJECTIVISM
16. It is objective in the sense that
there are ethical principles that are
common in all societies.
Bowie cites that every society and
culture agrees that the torture and
murder of the innocent are morally
unacceptable.
He observed that almost all people
of the world make efforts to come up
with codes of conduct.
17. Rachels argues that there are some
values common to all cultures and
render moral objectivism.
♦care for the offspring
♦truth-telling
♦prohibition against murder
MORAL
OBJECTIVISM
18. “Many believe that the
purpose of morality is to
help make social
cooperation possible. Moral
principles are universally
necessary for that
endeavor.”
19. r
Hence, to the question of what
the basis of goodness is, the
moral objectivist would reject
the idea that goodness is
ultimately based on the
individual or that it ultimately
rests on the culture.
20. r
Rather, the rightness or
wrongness of an act ultimately
lies on universal ethical
principles that humanity has
discovered, developed, and
cultivated for it to survive, to
have meaningful existence, and
to form a more humane
community of persons.
21. One of the aims of business
ethics is to discover, apply, and
improve objective moral principles
so that a businessman who goes
from one culture to the other may
find the right balance between
objectivity of values and respect
toward another culture.
