Not sure why this got removed from 196lemmy…blahaj.zone but it would be real nice if moderation on Lemmy gave you some sort of notification of what you did wrong. Like an automatic DM or something

  • balderdash@lemmy.zipOP
    411·
    9 months ago

    The point is that slavery was seen as morally acceptable at some time and the moral relativist is forced to say that that means slavery was okay during that time. Most people here want to be moral relativists but they don’t want to accept its consequences.

      • Poplar?@lemmy.world
        72·
        9 months ago

        No they understand just fine. Here’s a quote from an ethics book that gets at the same issue:

        The extreme sexism at the heart of honor killings is but one of many examples that raise doubts about cultural relativism. After all, societies are sometimes based on principles of slavery, of warlike aggression, of religious bigotry or ethnic oppression. Cultural relativism would turn these core ideals into iron-clad moral duties, making cooperation with slavery, sexism, and racism the moral duty of all citizens of those societies. The iconoclast—the person deeply opposed to conventional wisdom—would, by definition, always be morally mistaken. This has struck many people as seriously implausible.

        Russ Shafer-Landau - The fundamentals of ethics p.293 (“Some Implications of Ethical Subjectivism and Cultural Relativism”)

        • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
          32·
          9 months ago

          Cultural relativism would turn these core ideals into iron-clad moral duties

          Without knowing the context for this paragraph, this statement sounds like utter bullshit.

          • Poplar?@lemmy.world
            21·
            9 months ago

            If that result is absurd, that probably just means you think cultural relativism is bullshit.

            I can share a link to get the book, the context is quite short.

            • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
              31·
              9 months ago

              No, I mean I’m pretty sure that characterization of relativism is bullshit. A straw man if you will.

              • Poplar?@lemmy.world
                1·
                9 months ago

                I shared that quote to show that OP seems to know what moral relativism is, and their objection is something actual ethicists point out. I dont see what its got to do with how many people in the comments here are relativists.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
        3·
        9 months ago

        There were Roman slaves devoted to their masters. They sometimes married them and often took their master’s surname name when they were freed. Then kept slaves themselves. So yes, some slaves saw slavery as acceptable.