Relativism, or Moral Facts?(“there’s no right or wrong, it’s just your opinion”

versus “some things just are right or wrong”)

What do you think?Read the “7 things a relativist can’t do”. Discuss with your partner if you think you are a relativist, or if you do believe in some things being right or wrong.

Question:Explain why you think you are relativist or not.

Are some things always wrong?

• To define key terms – relativism , and objective

• To decide if you believe in right and wrong

• To consider where wrongness comes from

Things are just right and wrong anyway, whatever anyone, or even God, may say. It is an objective fact = it is just true, whatever anyone, even God, may say or think.

Objective physical facts eg water is H2O. Wood comes from trees.

Objective moral facts eg paedophilia is wrong

1. Explain what “objectively true” means

2. Give 2 objective physical facts3. Give what could be 2 objective

moral facts**What is the difference between proving subjective or objective moral facts ?

What Shoot-Out Slim is doing, is

just plain wrong!

Where does “wrongness” come from?

Imagine 2 aliens land in the school playground. You are in charge of showing them around.

You point out 2 boys bullying someone. “Look! They’re bullying! That’s wrong!” “Ah yes, wrong!” say the aliens. But we do not understand your earthling talk of right and wrong. Please show us “wrong”.

“OK”, you reply. You walk out in the street and you see someone mugging an old lady. “Look! That man is doing something wrong!”.

The aliens reply: “We see that man attacking that old woman just like you can. We see him taking her purse. We also see that she is upset and frightened. But where is this thing called “wrong”? We can’t see that!”

1. Wrongness is real: it really is “out there” for anyone to see.

2. Wrongness is real, but only humans have the special “wrongness detector” to see it (conscience?)

3. There is no actual “wrongness” about anything. It is just a matter of opinion (relativism).

Where is the

“wrongness??!

1. Explain what the aliens did not understand.

2. What problem would you have, to try and show it to them?.

3. Where do you think “wrongness” comes from? (see pink box). Which answer do you not agree with? Why?

**llustrate the alien scenario with a picture.

A DilemmaEither you are a relativist, and you think anything is just a matter of opinion – but then you can’t claim anything is right or wrong, better or worse.

Or you are not a relativist, then you think there is such a thing as right and wrong. But if so, where is this “wrongness”? In our heads? In the “wrong” action itself? Who can find it?

I believe in right and wrong… but where is this wrong? How can

I show it to the robber?

Do a sketch to show the mystery of morality – how most people recognise something to be wrong, but we can’t find the “wrongness”!