A Defense of Ethical Relativism and Moral Relativism

Compose a brief essay of at least 400 words but no more than 600 words (not including your references list) on the following topic, referring to and critiquing relevant ideas from at least three of the Week 5 readings as you develop your thoughts: What moral guide should American society use for making moral decisions, moral absolutism, moral relativism, or something in between? Make an argument for your stance.

Note 1: No matter what stance you take, it is recommended that you make one of your three chosen readings the essay by Ruth Benedict, as her essay has been hugely influential in the social sciences and in the therapeutic community in America.

Note 2: While it is easier to defend a middle-ground position that either strict moral absolutism or moral relativism, nonetheless, it is possible to create a good argument for any position along the spectrum between absolutism and relativism.

Write in essay form (that is, in paragraphs, not in bullet points). Be as specific and precise as you can be. Use the Discussion Board Grading Rubric in the Assignments area to guide your thoughts on what constitutes a high-quality essay.

Important Assignment Guidelines: Not following these guidelines will have a negative impact on your grade for the week.

1. Write in Arial font, size 14 (chosen from the drop-down menus on the create thread box in the Discussion Board forum), unless otherwise directed by your instructor.

2. Always name the author whose ideas you are discussing (use the author's full name the first time you refer to him/her; after that, identify authors by their last names).

3. Provide in-text citations for all ideas, opinions, and facts derived from the course readings, whether you simply refer to them, paraphrase them (put them entirely into your own words), or quote them. Place the in-text citation at the end of your sentence but before the period that ends your sentence. The in-text citation should give the author's last name (unless you've used it already in your sentence), the year of publication (if known), and the appropriate page number(s) from the reading (if page numbers are used in the online text of the essay). Do not use the title of the reading unless it does not have an author).

4. Provide a References list at the end of your essay that includes bibliographic references for every reading cited in your essay.