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If ethics is merely relative and subjective, does it mean that there is no such thing as good and bad or right and wrong?

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Final answer:

Ethics and whether they are subjective or objective is a central debate in metaethics, with Normative Ethical Relativism positing no universal moral principles, while other viewpoints suggest universal ethics can be discerned through human reason.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question of whether morality is objective or subjective is a fundamental issue in metaethics. Normative Ethical Relativism asserts that moral principles are not universal and vary across cultures. However, there are alternative viewpoints suggesting that certain ethical principles can apply universally, rooted in human reason as suggested by philosophers like Socrates and Plato. This perspective argues that through rationality, humans can identify ethical principles that transcend cultural boundaries, thus providing a basis for what is good or bad, and right or wrong. Conversely, moral relativism claims that no such universal moral standards exist, making ethical judgments strictly dependent on cultural context. This debate is central to understanding the nature of ethics and the foundations of moral decision-making.

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