Lecture Notes - Philosophy 1B03 Society, Law and Society...

Philosophy 1B03 – Society, Law and Society
PHILOS 1B03 Lecture 1: Introduction
January 7
th
2014
Men are social animals – choose to be with others Aristotle
Nature has made us want to live with others, much like animals such as dogs and bees
However, difference is that the way in which we interact does not come naturally –
government, taxes etc
Social Political Philosophy is a discipline concerned with the best way of arranging
our collective lives – dictated by man rather than intrinsic motivation.
Concerned with the best way to arrange collective lives.
Normativity:
Normative purpose: establishes a position of what OUGHT to be the case (ie right or
wrong)
Problematic: maybe there isn’t a best way, only opinions about it. Who is to say
there is a best way of doing something? How do we decide? Democratic system may not
be intrinsically better than an autocratic system. No truth of the matter; what is better for
some may not be better for others.
Relativism: (CR Cultural Relativism)
There are no independent standards by which we can evaluate normative claims:
Only cultural practices – different moral codes throughout different cultures exist.
Examples of cultural relativity include polygamy, euthanasia, tobacco/marijuana use,
homosexuality.
Cultural practices are merely one among many
Radical relativism: truth may only be truth for one person rather than others.
Appeal of Relativsm:
Explain widespread disagreement over moral and social practise
Seems to promote attitude of respect and tolerance for other cultures
Seems to be only alternative to strict objectivism/absolutism (only one right thing to
do in political institution or moral code)

If truth is relative, no need to condemn others for their difference of truth. Cannot
criticise their way of doing things as “wrong” or “right,” promotes attitude of tolerance.
Problems of Relativism (CounterConsiderations)
Why should we believe that cultural relativism is true? Is that enough of a reason to
think that there are no objective truths, that CR recognizes that different cultures have
different beliefs?
Does not determine nor negate any absolute truths
Difficult to legitimately criticize the beliefs of other (or your own) culture. Says that
its wrong for us but not others, can we not say it is right/wrong for all? What basis for
criticism?
Calls moral progress to doubt – say that attitudes are better in modern society than
they were in the past. However, if we are true relativists, we can only say they are different,
what criteria do we use to call them better?
Connection between relativism and tolerance is questionable: “we ought to be tolerant
of other cultures” is a moral claim
• If this claim is objective, then relativism is wrong
• If this claim is relative, then relativism does not support an attitude of tolerance – cognitive
dissonance arises
Therefore, Link between tolerance and relativism is weaker than what some may think.