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Philosophy
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Apr 3, 2024
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docx
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Moral realism and moral skepticism are two very different meta-ethical theories. Moral skepticism is the meta-ethical theory that states that moral knowledge is impossible. Under this class of meta ethics falls nihilism, subjectivism, and cultural relativism. These
three forms of moral skepticism all range in severity. Nihilism is the most extreme of the
three, stating that there are no moral truths. The next form, subjectivism, states that there are moral truths, but they are determined by the individual. The last form
, cultural relativism, states that different cultures have different moral codes which in turn determine what is morally right or wrong.
In contrast, Moral Realism states that there are moral facts and moral properties which are conceptually real.
To better illustrate this difference, consider the statement "stealing is wrong". A moral skeptic might believe that the morality of stealing is determined by an individual (subjectivism) or by a culture (cultural relativism) , and therefore it may be morally correct to steal or it may be morally correct not to steal. Some moral skeptics might believe that it is neither morally right nor wrong to steal. On the other hand, a moral realist might state that stealing is wrong, whether or not anyone chooses to believe it. Those who would choose not to believe that stealing is wrong would only be mistaken.
This concept can also be understood using the statement "racism is wrong." A moral skeptic might believe that practicing racism is morally right or that not practicing racism is morally right based off an individual (subjectivism) or culture (cultural relativism)
. They
may also just believe that racism is neither right nor wrong. A moral realist might state that practicing racism is wrong, whether or not anyone chooses to believe it.
Personally, I find moral realism to be more convincing in regards to the nature of morality. I believe that there are moral properties which are conceptually real and independent of what humans think, such as "murder is wrong". I find it quite hard to adopt positions like subjectivism or cultural relativism which leave no room for disagreements or criticisms, and I find it even harder to adopt a position which states that nothing is right or wrong. I believe there should be some possibility of moral progress, and that not all moral codes are equally correct.
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