Ethical relativism

Discussion 1 Ethical Relativism

People of different cultures engage in different practices and espouse divergent notions about what is right and wrong. What does this tell us about our own ethical commitments? Do all values depend solely upon the social context from which they emerge, or are there objective truths upon which we might all agree? Use specific examples to illustrate the position you choose to defend on this topic.

Discussion 2 Feminist Ethics

What additional perspectives do women bring to our understanding of ethics? How might attention to these concerns alter our conception of virtue? Can feminist insights be incorporated effectively at the level of individual decision making, or does their impact require fundamental changes in the social and political environment?

One productive direction for our discourse in this discussion might be to look for ways in which feminist ethics fits with the traditional normative theories. Can we use old categories of thinking to express our recognition of new ideas?