Relativism Moral relativism seems as polarizing as any individual moral belief, with objectivists insisting that some acts are immoral under all circumstances and relativists pointing to the intrinsic moral value of tolerance. In "Folk Moral Relativism," Sarkissian et al. (2011) offers a more nuanced perspective somewhere between the two poles of absolute relativism and objectivism. To help clarify the differences between relativists and objectivists, Sarkissian et al. (2011) present a series of experiments highlighting the psychological tendencies toward either relativism or objectivism. As prior research illustrates, people do tend to be rather objectivist when it comes to making judgments about people from their own social and cultural milieu. Thus, an American person would claim that it is always wrong to steal candy from a baby in the United States. Sarkissian et al. (2011) went beyond the boundaries of prior research to show that people also tend to think in increasingly relativist terms when asked to make the same judgments of others: people from different cultural, ethnic, or national backgrounds. Using the same example, one person can simultaneously believe that stealing candy from a baby is wrong for Americans living in the United States, but that stealing candy from babies might be considered some sort of honor or custom in another country or another planet. While the research methods Sarkissian et al. (2011) use are as problematic as those of his forebears in psychological research on the topic of moral development, the...
For one, many moral codes are enshrined in the laws of the state. With law serving as an objective benchmark of morality, the person naturally presumes that behaviors can be labeled deviant in one country but not another. Holding everyone in the same country to the same moral standard makes for a relatively harmonious society. Moral objectivism creates the illusion of equality, by suggesting that a person may think or do as he or she pleases, but never has the right to infringe on the rights of others. If relativism were injected into the equation, legal conundrums would arise, and chaos might ensue. It would not be possible to justify holding two people to different moral standards. The only exception would be the increased tolerance people have toward those considered morally underdeveloped, such as children. Children who behave in ways deemed deviant are punished by their parents, but not sanctioned as if they were adults. Maintaining moral objectivity in a pluralistic society like the United States is also convenient, because there is a more absolute or definable ceiling on tolerance. Some behaviors deemed odd are condoned because they are not immoral; whereas other behaviors fall under the rubric of being immoral and are punishable regardless of whether they are considered "customs" in another society. For example, practitioners of Santeria are…
Psychology is considered to be an area of study that involves behavior. Behavior is demonstrated in a lot of diverse areas in the field of psychology. Some of these examples are mental illness, relationships, sexuality, depression, family dynamics, or culture. Accepting of behavior is picked up by various techniques and it could be from society or changes in individuals or the overall population. Psychologists look at various factors such as
Philosophy Kuhn's Rationale on the Irrationality of Scientific Revolutions "Communities in this sense exist, of course, at numerous levels. The most global is the community of all natural scientists." ~Thomas S. Kuhn, from The Structure of Scientific Revolutions To understand Thomas Kuhn's ideas regarding scientific revolutions, one must have a grasp on Kuhn's ideas relating to the history of science in general. Kuhn's perspective on the history of science is that scientific knowledge is
Within its strict perspective of humanity, there is no room for free will; actions are automatic responses to prompts from one's surroundings. It goes without saying that behaviorists do not allow for mankind's soul; this does not rest well with most, particularly with theologians and religious leaders. Naturally, such perspectives on humanity are not acceptable to many. What's more, behaviorism is harshly reproached for its inability to generalize behavior.
Philosophy and Psychology of the Mind and Body Throughout human history, philosophers, doctors, and most recently, psychologists, have attempted to understand the relationship between the mind and body and how it results in human beings' awareness and perception of reality. At least since the golden age of Greek philosophy, thinkers have been aware of an ostensible distinction between the mind and body, a distinction that nonetheless allows for some intermingling such
Psychology The Field of Psychology: An Overview of Foundations, Influence and Pertinence in Today's World One of the most fascinating and complex fields of study in today's scientific world is psychology, the scientific examination of human behavior. Psychologists, as professionals, can prove to be an extremely useful resource, especially since mental disorders tend to be just as complicated as physical disorders, and, often, much less apparent. The field of psychology has grown tremendously
Psychology History A Brief History of Psychology The study of psychology is now deeply entrenched in our society's understand as to how a human, and specifically the human mind, functions. Understanding one's psychological needs is necessary in daily life in order to understand how to cope with various stresses and emotions. However, many decades ago, such ideas were truly visionary, as psychology was not considered a true scientific subject, and many who
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