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Moral absolutism is not the same as moral universalism. Universalism holds merely that what is right or wrong is independent of custom or opinion (as opposed to moral relativism),[1] but not necessarily that what is right or wrong is independent of context or consequences (as in absolutism). Louis Pojman gives the following definitions to distinguish the two positions of moral absolutism and objectivism:[2]
Moral absolutism: There is at least one principle that ought never to be violated.
Moral objectivism: There is a fact of the matter as to whether any given action is morally permissible or impermissible: a fact of the matter that does not depend solely on social custom or individual acceptance.
One can adhere to moral absolutism in a strictly secular context, exemplified by the many variations of deontological moral rationalism. However, many religions, especially ones which define divine commandments, also adhere to moral absolutist positions. Therefore, to followers of such religions, the moral system is absolute, perfect and unchanging. Some secular philosophies, borrowing from religion, also take a morally absolutist position, asserting that the absolute laws of morality are inherent in the nature of people, the nature of life in general, or the Universe itself.[citation needed] For example, someone who absolutely believes in non-violence considers it wrong to use violence even in self-defense.
Catholic philosopherThomas Aquinas never explicitly addresses the Euthyphro dilemma, but draws a distinction between what is good or evil in itself and what is good or evil because of God's commands,[3] with unchangeable moral standards forming the bulk of natural law.[4] Thus he contends that not even God can change the Ten Commandments, adding, however, that God can change what individuals deserve in particular cases, in what might look like special dispensations to murder or steal.[5]
moral, absolutism, other, uses, moral, universalism, moral, high, ground, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, relies, largely, entirely, sing. For other uses see Moral universalism and Moral high ground This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article relies largely or entirely on a single source Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources Find sources Moral absolutism news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2015 This article possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed January 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message Moral absolutismis an ethical view that some potentially all actions are intrinsically right or wrong regardless of context or consequence Contents 1 Comparison with other ethical theories 2 Religion 3 See also 4 NotesComparison with other ethical theories editMoral absolutism is not the same as moral universalism Universalism holds merely that what is right or wrong is independent of custom or opinion as opposed to moral relativism 1 but not necessarily that what is right or wrong is independent of context or consequences as in absolutism Louis Pojman gives the following definitions to distinguish the two positions of moral absolutism and objectivism 2 Moral absolutism There is at least one principle that ought never to be violated Moral objectivism There is a fact of the matter as to whether any given action is morally permissible or impermissible a fact of the matter that does not depend solely on social custom or individual acceptance Ethical theories which place strong emphasis on rights and duty such as the deontological ethics of Immanuel Kant are often forms of moral absolutism as are many religious moral codes Religion editOne can adhere to moral absolutism in a strictly secular context exemplified by the many variations of deontological moral rationalism However many religions especially ones which define divine commandments also adhere to moral absolutist positions Therefore to followers of such religions the moral system is absolute perfect and unchanging Some secular philosophies borrowing from religion also take a morally absolutist position asserting that the absolute laws of morality are inherent in the nature of people the nature of life in general or the Universe itself citation needed For example someone who absolutely believes in non violence considers it wrong to use violence even in self defense Catholic philosopher Thomas Aquinas never explicitly addresses the Euthyphro dilemma but draws a distinction between what is good or evil in itself and what is good or evil because of God s commands 3 with unchangeable moral standards forming the bulk of natural law 4 Thus he contends that not even God can change the Ten Commandments adding however that God can change what individuals deserve in particular cases in what might look like special dispensations to murder or steal 5 See also editAuthoritarianism Deontological ethics Formalism philosophy Fundamentalism Graded absolutism Legalism theology Literalism disambiguation Moral dilemma Natural law Paternalism RitualismNotes edit Moral Absolutism Ethics Unwrapped Retrieved 2020 05 27 Pojman L P A Defense of Ethical Objectivism p 50 Aquinas amp c 1265 1274 2a2ae 57 2 sfn error no target CITEREFAquinasc 1265 1274 help Aquinas amp c 1265 1274 2a1ae 94 5 sfn error no target CITEREFAquinasc 1265 1274 help Aquinas amp c 1265 1274 1a2ae 100 8 sfn error no target CITEREFAquinasc 1265 1274 help Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Moral absolutism amp oldid 1179380790, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
