Ethical Relativism

Ethical relativism proposes that people's values are fluid, changing with the times
and circumstances. It helps and accommodates the coexistence of different cultures
and traditions. Individuals are granted the right to adapt and follow their social values
and cultures. This means that cultural values are not set. The choices made by today's
youth might not be morally acceptable in the future. As a consequence, what is
culturally appropriate might not always be morally correct. By definition, ethical
relativism is a belief that there are no universally accepted ethical codes. People have
their own set of moral principles. For example, a person may believe that having sex on
the first date is immoral. Another person does not have a problem with sex in any case.
Someone else does not believe in sex prior to marriage, or may not believe in it at all.
Moral criteria are critical in determining if these viewpoints are correct or incorrect.
However, there are no universal ethical principles that can be applied to all viewpoints.
This example shows that people have various ethical virtues, suggesting ethical
relativism. There are contradictions in ethical relativism because it does not mean that
everyone supports a principle only because one group in society considers it
appropriate. Ethical relativism takes into account how other cultures accept one
another. It brings cultures together because it allows for a wide variety of views about
what is considered good and bad. Values are instilled in today's youth at an early age,
long before they can think effectively. Since values are learned by emotional
conditioning, moral and ethical relativism is related to emotional attitudes. People
evaluate their emotions before deciding on a course of action. Emotions play an
important role in moral and ethical decision-making, as well as shaping one's
personality. Societies may disagree about how to apply the basic moral ideologies, but
they agree on the values. Some ethical views, it may be argued, are culturally relative,
while others are not. Some practices, such as dressing mode rituals, may be influenced
by local values, while others, such as political repression or slavery, may be governed
by universal ethical principles and considered to be unethical regardless of other
cultural differences.
 Ethical relativism can also be criticized for its effect on individual ethical
principles. It may be argued that since values are entirely based on social standards, if
a society believes in racist practices, its members would consider racism as morally
acceptable. Members of a given group, particularly today's youth, have differing
perspectives on a given practice. Community, according to ethical relativism, is the
standard for deciding if a practice is right or wrong. It may be criticized, but it aids in the
recognition that different cultures have different moral values and that these convictions
are influenced by culture. It also inspires today's youth to investigate the reasons for
differences in community views, as well as to challenge people to examine their own
reasons for supporting the beliefs and values they do.

Finally, today's youth change their minds and values based on the will of the
majority. Ethical relativism allows for a wide spectrum of cultures and traditions. It will
help young people to adapt morally as society's technology, culture, and knowledge
evolve. It faces a challenging task because today's youth have a difficult time adapting
to new morals, new ideas, and their own society.