Moral and Epistemic Relativism

little man · 05-30-2010, 01:34 PM

i think that truth, right, wrong, moral, immoral are totally subjective. if not, how could there be mitigating or extenuating circumstances?

i've long thought that the 'truth' is only what you're willing to believe.

i do make a distinction between true and truth. true would be an observable fact. truth would be more aligned with faith. for me. i don't believe in any universal truths. what works for one or some does not always work for others.

i think that groups of people who agree to live together (societies) make tacit agreements on what is acceptable behaiors and laws are made accordingly. those who are unwilling or unable to abide by those laws used to be banished. now, they're imprisoned.

i'll stop here, before i wander into one of my long time thought processes on social contracts.

Isadora · 05-30-2010, 02:11 PM

Morality, to me, is a form of religious or spiritual belief in right for the betterment of those who believe the same and/or to achieve (heaven, nirvana, Avalon, etc.) a higher being after death. Morality is based on fear of eternal punishment. (Margaret Mead)

Ethics is about how we form guidelines in our society for the betterment of all people. Ethics guide how society works and is lubricated. As societies grew (according to anthropologists and cultural geographers) ethical behavior changed based on the needs of a particular society. Ethics, to me, is about how society agrees to live with each other. Ethics can include many forms of belief especially around decision making, laws, conflict management and how we perceive truth.

And then there is truth. It is an old word...actually of German/Saxon origins. The etymology of the word is from the German "troth" to be faithful or true. It meant to be "treu" is to be faithful, honest, loyal and to live in good faith. The word for "factuality" is actually "soth" (k, this is as close as I could get on this computer to the spelling). There are two distinct meanings for what is truth. I believe soth is always coloured by our perception and therefore subjective. Truth as in being faithful is an emotional or ideological connection to a person, community or society.

(K, I have a fetish about words, meaning and cultural awareness of language.)

So this is a long winded explanation of what littleman said. LOL

05-30-2010, 01:34 PM	#1
little man Member How Do You Identify?: mister Preferred Pronoun?: he Relationship Status: hard to hold Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: where the road goes on forever and the party never ends Posts: 1,003 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 169 Thanked 1,535 Times in 437 Posts Rep Power: 13709164	i think that truth, right, wrong, moral, immoral are totally subjective. if not, how could there be mitigating or extenuating circumstances? i've long thought that the 'truth' is only what you're willing to believe. i do make a distinction between true and truth. true would be an observable fact. truth would be more aligned with faith. for me. i don't believe in any universal truths. what works for one or some does not always work for others. i think that groups of people who agree to live together (societies) make tacit agreements on what is acceptable behaiors and laws are made accordingly. those who are unwilling or unable to abide by those laws used to be banished. now, they're imprisoned. i'll stop here, before i wander into one of my long time thought processes on social contracts. __________________ i gots pitchers here i'm a rambling man i ain't ever gonna change i got a gypsy soul to blame and i was born for leaving --zac brown band (colder weather) Last edited by little man; 05-30-2010 at 01:36 PM. Reason: eta: apologies for probably wandering off-topic

05-30-2010, 02:11 PM	#2
Isadora Member How Do You Identify?: Momma, Ma'am Preferred Pronoun?: She/Her Relationship Status: I am in love. Truly Madly Deeply Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: California Posts: 997 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 502 Thanked 2,127 Times in 559 Posts Rep Power: 2369288	Morality, to me, is a form of religious or spiritual belief in right for the betterment of those who believe the same and/or to achieve (heaven, nirvana, Avalon, etc.) a higher being after death. Morality is based on fear of eternal punishment. (Margaret Mead) Ethics is about how we form guidelines in our society for the betterment of all people. Ethics guide how society works and is lubricated. As societies grew (according to anthropologists and cultural geographers) ethical behavior changed based on the needs of a particular society. Ethics, to me, is about how society agrees to live with each other. Ethics can include many forms of belief especially around decision making, laws, conflict management and how we perceive truth. And then there is truth. It is an old word...actually of German/Saxon origins. The etymology of the word is from the German "troth" to be faithful or true. It meant to be "treu" is to be faithful, honest, loyal and to live in good faith. The word for "factuality" is actually "soth" (k, this is as close as I could get on this computer to the spelling). There are two distinct meanings for what is truth. I believe soth is always coloured by our perception and therefore subjective. Truth as in being faithful is an emotional or ideological connection to a person, community or society. (K, I have a fetish about words, meaning and cultural awareness of language.) So this is a long winded explanation of what littleman said. LOL __________________ "I have a respect for manners as such, they are a way of dealing with people you don't agree with or like." Margaret Mead Read me! www.leatherati.com Last edited by Isadora; 05-30-2010 at 02:18 PM. Reason: k, editing for clarification