Activity 1

 

 ———————————————   ———————————————   ———————————————   ———————— ———————   ——————  Activity 1 Read William Sumner’s “The Case for Ethical Relativism” in Philosophy: The Basic Issues, pp. 496-511, and then answer the questions below based on what you understood from the reading. 1. How do you develop your notion of ‘what is the right thing to do’ in society? 2. What is the connection between your choices as an individual and that of your society? Page ! of !2 15

 

 ———————————————   ———————————————   ———————————————   ———————— ———————   ——————  Activity 1 Read William Sumner’s “The Case for Ethical Relativism” in Philosophy: The Basic Issues, pp. 496-511, and then answer the questions below based on what you understood from the reading. 1. How do you develop your notion of ‘what is the right thing to do’ in society? 2. What is the connection between your choices as an individual and that of your society? ———————————————————————————————————— Activity 1 Read William Sumner’s “The Case for Ethical Relativism” Re lativism” in Philosophy: The Basic Issues, pp. 496-511, and then answer the questions below based on what you understood from the reading. 1. How do you develop your notion of ‘what is the t he right thing to do’ in society? 2. What is the connection between your choices as an individual and that of your society? Page ! of !2 15

 

 Login to interact Logged in users can save documents, make comments, download and much more Sign in ETHICS 1 - Ethics and Moral Reasoning in Everyday Life 3. To what extent do the mores of your society shape your notion of “good/bad” or “right/wrong”? 4. Do mores change? How? Cite an example.! ———————————————————————————————————— Even as society defends and preserves its mores, these same mores may change to adapt to new conditions. The changes in the mores of a particular society do not happen in an instant, but they happen unconsciously over time. For example, during the Spanish period, women wore dresses that covered them from head to toe, and it was thought that seeing a woman’s ankles was tantamount to seeing her naked. But women’s fashion has changed so much through the years that our Spanish ancestors might well be rolling in their graves at the way women are dressed today. According to Sumner, this point can be summarized thus: “The ‘morals’ of an age are never anything but the consonance between what is done and what the mores of the age requires.” Consequently, with regard to morality one always has to consider two points of view — the point of view of society, together with its customs, social rules, and social sanctions, and that of the individual or the free moral agent who develops habits in the course of following the social norms established by society. Ultimately, it is still the individual, in his/her capacity as a rational and free moral agent, who will decide whether to follow these norms. On the other hand, society is not homogenous, because there is an interplay of varying views and groups where the individual belongs. The factors that may affect the individual’s choices are varied and even contradictory at times. The individual may belong simultaneously to different groups, and these groups could exert varying and sometimes contrasting degrees of influence on him/her. For example, individuals can be influenced by their family, peer groups, church, school, the mass media, and social media. Ultimately, however, it is still the individual who would make his/her own moral decisions. As mentioned, the notion of morality develops with the interplay between society and the individual. Here, society would be composed of different groups that directly or indirectly

 

shape the values of the individual. These values serve as the individual’s guide in his/her pursuit of what he/she believes to be the moral or the ‘good’ life. Note that the individual is assumed to be a free moral agent who can make choices and deliberate or reflect before acting or making a decision. Moreover, as society grows and becomes more complex, the different groups that comprise it could put forward competing values, including different notions of ‘what is good’. In this case, it is the rational individual who can decide for him/ herself which moral principles to uphold, based on his/her upbringing and the influence of various groups in his/her society (family, church, school, peer groups, social media, mass media, etc.). Therefore, the individual plays a pivotal role as a free moral agent in analyzing, choosing, and valuing what he/she considers as most important when he/she makes his/her choices.