moral relativism
MOR-ul REL-uh-tiv-iz-um
ˈmɒrəl ˈrɛlətɪvɪzəmListen
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Dictionary meaning
the view that moral judgments are not universally valid but are true or false only relative to a particular individual (individual relativism or subjectivism), culture (cultural relativism), or historical period; cultural moral relativism — the anthropological observation that moral practices vary significantly across societies — is sometimes confused with the philosophical thesis that no cross-cultural moral judgments are possible; critics argue that relativism is self-refuting (the claim that all moral views are equally valid is itself a non-relative moral claim), that it cannot account for moral progress, and that it renders impossible any criticism of cultural practices such as slavery or genocide; its appeal lies in fostering tolerance and intellectual humility about the limits of one's own cultural perspective