Explain the main differences between moral relativism and moral absolutism. [25] This essay will focus on the main differences between moral relativism and moral absolutism. Moral relativism, a teleological view, is the idea that morality depends on the situation, culture, or time and is subjective, so it changes according to our opinion. On the other hand moral absolutism, a deontological view, is the idea that morality is objectively right or wrong and it is independent of humans. The origins of morality can be traced back to the ancient stories of the Greeks. Homer’s epic story of the Trojan wars showed the dramatic struggles of heroes, more importantly, it disclosed the morals and values that Homer’s society applied to. Ancients around the time of Homer believed that describing a person as ‘agathon’ was in fact one of the highest forms of praise. Agathon can be translated as ‘good’ or being ‘noble’. Although this was a moral belief amongst some city states (polis) during this period, the idea of good was soon changed by a group of teachers, namely the Sophists. …show more content…
This group of teachers argued for moral relativism: all morality is relative, so there is no such thing as good; morality is subjective; and what is good for some people may not be good for others. As the Sophists travelled they acknowledged that the moral codes and systems of law differed greatly in different societies, which led to them teaching that people should strive to get ahead of the particular society in which they lived, rather than for a non-existing notion of goodness. In support of this belief the Sophist Protagoras said that “Man is the measure of all