Ethical Relativity and Ethical

Absolutism
What if I say it is O.K. to Kill?
 Should we believe everyone who says
what they are doing is O.K. just
because they think it is?
Ethical Relativism
 Ethical relativity is the thesis that there
is no single moral standard which is
equally applicable to all people at all
times.
 There is no single code or standard,
there are many.
 When in Rome, one should do as the
Romans do
Not Opinions, Facts
 Relativists do not just mean people
have different opinions about morals
but that there is no single moral code.
 There is a difference between what
people think and what is true. The
relativist says there is no single truth.
Ethical Absolutism
 When in Rome, one should do what
one would do at home, regardless of
what Romans do.
 Some behaviors are always wrong no
matter wherever they are practised
Absolutists vs. Relativists
 Absolutists think there is a single
moral standard that is absolute and
does not change, relativists think that
there is no such standard.
 The relativist rejects the distinction
between what is thought to be right
and what is right – she says there is
no difference.
From IHRM viewpoint
 Should Global organizations apply
their values everywhere they do
business? (Absolutism)
 Or they should consider different
cultural values and local practices?
(Relativism)
The Argument for Relativism

 If there are different moral standards

found everywhere none of these is the
correct standard??
 There are different standards found
everywhere.
 Therefore none of these standards is
the correct standard.
Response:
 Just because there are different
standards does not mean that no
standard is correct.
 All that follows from the fact that there
are different standards is that people
have different opinions regarding
morality, whether or not these opinions
are right is a different question.
The First Argument for
Absolutism:
 If relativism is right, many things we
believe are false.
 We believe what many Germans did
under Hitler did was wrong, that some
cultural rules are better than others
(e.g. we should not eat people).
The Second Argument for
Absolutism:
 If relativism is true we can not even
make comparisons between
individuals in the same group. What is
the group that we are evaluating if
everyone has different standards?
 How can we tell what the norms of a
community are even if we can define a
group?
Can Everyone Really be
Right?
 Without a universal standard we can
not compare cultures or criticize their
members.