Ethical Absolutism Versus Ethical Relativism

Rozuel, Cécile

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-28036-8_494

Cécile Rozuel Ph.D.⁵

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Synonyms

Cultural relativism; Moral absolutism; Moral relativism; Moral skepticism; Objectivism; Subjectivism; Universal principles

Definition

Moral relativism is a popular concept in a globalized world. With such a great diversity of cultures and practices, it seems more difficult to assert that one set of norms should prevail over rivals. If we all share similar standards of right and wrong, there should hardly be any problem. We would all know which actions are morally acceptable, and which are not. But history suggests that we do not share the same moral values and standards, and this has caused major problems for moral practice. Several questions ensue: Why do we disagree? Who is right? Who is wrong? How are we to settle the dispute? Can we settle the dispute?

Moral relativists answer: We disagree because the notions of “right” and “wrong” do not exist independently of human interaction. There is no such thing as moral facts or moral truths; rather the boundaries of morality are...

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References and Readings

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Authors and Affiliations

Institute for Socio-Management, Stirling Management School, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK
Dr. Cécile Rozuel Ph.D.

Authors

Dr. Cécile Rozuel Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Cécile Rozuel Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

London Metropolitan Business School, London Metropolitan University, Moorgate, London, UK
Samuel O. Idowu
Loyala University New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, USA
Nicholas Capaldi
International Labor Organization, International Training Center, Viale Maestri del Lavoro, Turin, Italy
Liangrong Zu
Indian Institute of Plantation Management, Bangalore, India
Ananda Das Gupta

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Rozuel, C. (2013). Ethical Absolutism Versus Ethical Relativism. In: Idowu, S.O., Capaldi, N., Zu, L., Gupta, A.D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28036-8_494

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28036-8_494
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-28035-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-28036-8
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