Axiology
Another name for axiology, it is the starting point of almost every moral theory as it asks the fundamental questions: why should we be moral? What’s so important about morality? What’s most important in life?
What is value theory?
Capitalist Ethics is a consequentialist moral theory because it sees this as the main benefit of being moral.
What is money?
Written by Nietzsche, this book is one of the most controversial philosophical books ever written about morality. Nietzsche called his method of investigation “genealogy” because he claims to be tracking down the “origins” of morality and its development through history.
What is On the Genealogy of Morals?
The 30th president of the United States who said all men are created equal and given inalienable rights, and that determination is final.
Who is Calvin Coolidge ??
This type of relativism holds that moral actions and norms are defined by a particular culture. The implication in this case is that whatever is right (or wrong) in one culture may not be so in a different culture, but that is okay as there are no objective moral standards, no universal absolutes.
What is cultural relativism?
According to Canadian phycologist Jordan Peterson, the only thing capable of making us distinguishing right from wrong, good from bad, is values, and these values give rise to the following systems.
What is hierarchies or meritocracies?
We can find multiple examples in our society of individuals, businesses, corporations, politicians, etc., who do good to others based on monetary gain, and who avoid doing wrong based on what possible losses ??
What is economic losses ??
Nietzsche asserts the concept of the “good” was first applied by the “noble” (or powerful) to themselves, and they deemed “bad” all who were inferior, weak and different from them. Therefore, this group's actions were considered “good”, and this group's actions were considered "bad.”
Who is the powerful (who performed good actions) and the weak (who performed bad actions)?
The predominant view on morality in our times, ethical relativism denies the existence of this type of standard: universals or absolutes in morality; right or wrong actions valid for people every time and everywhere, with no exceptions.
What is moral standards ?
Political activist who said:
“Let us be clear about what cultural relativism is a profoundly racist phenomenon, which values and respects all cultural and religious practices, irrespective of their consequences for women. It asserts that the rights of people, women and girls are relative to where they are born, “their” cultures and religions. There is no right or wrong according to cultural relativists.”
Who is Maryam Namazie?
To summarize Peterson’s argument:
Values (or valued goals) are important because they give life meaning
Values inevitably create hierarchies (meritocracies)
Absolute equality or equity (a system that makes everyone a winner by rejecting the idea of merit) is only possible if we sacrifice values and their pursuit in the first place
However, lack of values makes life meaningless and difficult .Therefore, values and hierarchies are good even when they produce inequalities
Consider money or economic success as a valued goal.
Why are values needed ??
The French economist and politician from the 1800s who believed that in order to put an end to crime and guarantee political stability in any given society, members of the upper class must make sure that, as they become richer, members of the lower classes must also feel they’re moving up in the ladder of economic prosperity.
Who is Leon Faucher?
Nietzsche insists this has nothing to do with the origins of morality, just like the actions of the powerful had nothing to do with unselfish behavior.
What is utility?
An extreme version of ethical relativism which holds that there are no moral facts of any kind in the world; that morality is simply based on “social conventions” with no real, objective existence. People who hold this view of morality are called “moral skeptics.”
What is Moral nihilism?
Canadian Prime Minister who stated that in Canada “there is no core identity” considering his country is committed to the idea of multiculturalism.
Because of this commitment, Canada is facing important challenges. For example, should the country legally accept cultural practices (like honor killings and female genital circumcision) that clearly clash against Western values?
Who is Justin Trudeau?
Instead of equity, Peterson asks us to favor this system that provides everyone the same chances to become economically successful.
What is equality of opportunity?
Italian sociologist Corrado Gini (1884 1965) came up with a very precise way to measure income inequality and its effect on society. This statistical discovery shows that crime becomes prominent in places that exhibit relative poverty where members of the upper, middle and lower classes cohabitate. This means that in places where most people enjoy pretty much the same economic status, violent crime is almost non existent.
What is the Gini Coefficient?
To consider the words “good” and “bad”, its important to understand the true origin (genealogy) of these two fundamental moral concepts. This origin has been hidden or neglected by a “democratic prejudice” that seeks to please everyone and thus avoids “truths” that would offend most people.
This seems to match a term used often today.
What is political correctness ??
A skeptic that asserted that when people make moral judgments, they are simply expressing approval or disapproval, like or dislike, love or disgust, regarding a particular action or behavior.
Philosopher Shafer Landau puts it this way:“When we declare a murdered wicked or a relief worker good and kind, we are expressing our anger or our admiration. We are not stating a fact”
Who is David Hume?
The following are examples of what:
If we validate all moral beliefs, we are validating none, all opinions are “equally good”.
Ethical Relativism does not solve moral problems but dissolve them. As there are no moral absolutes, there is no common standard to evaluate right from wrong, no shared axiological values.
Ethical Relativism makes it hard, if not impossible, for countries to agree on an effective policy to fight world poverty, terrorism, sexual discrimination and abuse against women
Rejecting absolute ideas often produce weak (or no real) values. As a consequence, people may lack a solid belief system. This is why nihilism is so popular today.
What is problems with Ethical Relativism?
A moral insight that axiology offer that denies the existence of universal or absolute moral standards.
There are no right or wrong actions that are valid for everybody, at every time and everywhere.
Regarding axiology, this means the rejection of all values at the time of assessing moral actions.
Therefore, we are simply left with a) the idea that we must respect all cultures regardless of how horrendous their practices may appear to us (cultural relativism) and b) the idea that all opinions are equally valid (individual relativism).
What is ethical relativism?
The Gini Coefficient proves that Faucher was partly right and partly wrong in his strategy for political stability.
He was right in that income inequality does create social instability. But he was wrong in that helping people becoming less poor, while allowing the rich to continue getting richer, would actually alleviate this problem.
So long as your neighbor has a better car or house or clothes than you do, this type of poverty will still prevail as well as social instability and crime.
What is relative poverty?
Nietzsche says this can only occur between equals who are powerful as they see nothing to despise in one another but much to respect.
What is real love?
This type of relativism holds that moral actions and norms are defined by an individual (morality is a matter of one’s personal beliefs)
What is individual relativism?