CULTURAL PLURALISM, ETHICAL RELATIVISM, AND MORAL ABSOLUTISM

This essay assignment provides an opportunity for you to formalize and clarify some of your thoughts on about cultural pluralism, ethical relativism, moral absolutism (Brannigan, Chapter 1, especially pp. 11 – 28 & Lecture 3a). 

The assignment: Write an essay that will help the interested reader to think about the fact of cultural pluralism, and the sorts of ethical challenges it presents, and some of the possible ways of addressing those challenges. Your task, most simply stated, is to answer these three interrelated questions:

What sorts of ethical challenges are posed by the fact of cultural pluralism? 

What are some of the possible philosophical solutions to such challenges? 

And what is your solution?

In your essay, be sure to do the following:

1. Define your terms e.g., cultural pluralism means, moral absolutism can be defined as, ethical relativism is a way of thinking about morality that, etc.

2. Explain why cultural pluralism poses ethical challenges e.g., The reason cultural pluralism poses ethical challenges is because, etc.

3. Include a concrete example of an ethical challenge posed by cultural pluralism, preferably from your own experiencee.g., I once encountered an ethical problem rooted in cultural pluralism. A woman from such-and-such a country said/did such-and-such, and I thought

4. Clarify (some of) the possible philosophical solutions to the challenges, like ethical relativism and moral absolutism (and there are other philosophical solutions, like moral skepticism and moral nihilism) e.g., One way we might deal with the challenge is to be an ethical relativist. An ethical relativist believes In this situation the ethical relativist might argue that Another way is to be a moral absolutist. A moral absolutist believes In this situation the moral absolutist might argue that

5. Share your own positione.g., From my point of view, the best way to deal with ethical problems rooted in cultural pluralism is This is very important. By all means learn from the textbook and use your lecture notes; but be sure to do some of your own thinking, too. Thats the real challenge, and that is what makes it interesting, for both the writer and the reader. Sapere aude! Thats Latin for Dare to know! As Kant put it in his famous essay on enlightenment, Have the courage to use your own understanding. 

The formal requirements: 

1. Your essay should be roughly 450 750 words (2-3 double-spaced pages).

2. This is to be a formal essay with an introduction, body paragraphs, a conclusion, proper grammar and punctuation, etc.

3. Please proofread your essay very carefully before you hand it in.