Ethical Relativism
Introduction
Ethical relativism is a theory that states morality is relative to social, cultural, and personal norms. This means that the rightness or wrongness of an action is determined by moral standards practised by society. In this paper, I will argue that human moralities are solely derived from cultural, societal and personal environment.
Killing of 6million Jews in WW2 by Nazis
According to utilitarianism theory, a morally right deed is one that results in more good or finite negative consequences for the whole society than any other action that can be done in its position. From this theory, I agree that human moralities and ethical theories rely on cultural, societal and environmental practices of one in the community. Looking human morality in perspective to 6 million Jews who were massacred under Nazi terror during WW 2, this action was wrong as Adolf Hitler attempted to exterminate the Jewish race. German militarists claimed that they were threatened to conduct the killing failure to which they were to be killed or be send to concentration camps. When you kill an innocent person being aware that it is wrong, but again under threat of your own life, then you are not worth being blamed. There was still another moral excuse with German officers that a propaganda campaign that annihilation of Jews was morally right tricked and convinced them. But this was all self-deception whereby they convinced themselves that what they were doing was right.
Why I condone the killing of 6 million Jews in WW2
I can condone this action for one reason, that, German officers were threatened to be killed or be sent to concentration camps if they challenged their authorities. I presume that this action was wrong with the fact that German officers knew that killing was illegal, and again were filled with self-deception that whatever they did was morally right. This is a moral injustice performed to the Jews race. This was an action that would be simply prevented, and thus it is a criminal action because those who perpetuated it were aware it is an act of moral injustice.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the killing of 6 million Jews was a very challenging moral issue because of the contradiction that, German Jews knew killing was terrible and to some extent were against moral injustice. Again that they were threatened on their own lives on failure to execute killing. But morally the action was very wrong and punishable. This was an influence of the authorities and never was it a social, cultural or environmental practice of the society.
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