Q1)-[Radical Subjectivism] *****People sometimes justify their moral views and beliefs by claiming ‘that is just what I was brought up to believe.’ This appears to be a version of radical subjectivism- a moral principle or belief is true just because I believe it to be true. But people have been brought up to believe all sorts of things. For example, some people were brought up to believe that slavery was morally justifiable. Perhaps a person is brought up to believe that killing people in the name of religious justice is morally acceptable (think about 9/11). Are all these moral beliefs true just because people were brought up to think they were true? If someone acts on their moral beliefs and does something that they believe to be morally justified (like slamming an airliner into a skyscraper and killing thousands of people) does that mean that they are morally justified and that their action is beyond moral criticism? After all, if their belief is true, how can we criticize or object to it? You may not like it, but so what; they do like the action and approve of it. If you say that such actions may be right for them but wrong according to you, what does that mean? Should they perform such acts or not? After all, they have their own moral code- since yours is no more correct or incorrect than theirs, what right do you have to impose your moral code on them?
Q2)-[Ethical Relativism] ****Suppose a Jamaican Rastafarian has become a naturalized American citizen. He supports the laws, votes in political elections, serves on juries, serves as a soccer coach, and is dedicated to his job. But he believes that it is not just morally permissible to smoke marijuana, but that it is morally mandatory- after all, why would God have gone to the trouble of creating a plant and putting it on earth if he didn’t want people to use it? The Rastafarian believes that to not use it is to insult God, akin to not being grateful and using a gift someone has given to you. This is a belief that he shares with other Jamaican Rastafarians, all members of the same society. According to the relativist, if the Rastafarian acts on his moral beliefs and smokes, is he doing something wrong? Why is it wrong, according to the relativist? What issue does this example highlight? Do you think there is a solution to this problem/issue for relativism?
