Final answer:
The postmodern view of morality rejects the modernist confidence in universal human reason and instead embraces moral relativism, where morality is constructed within cultural contexts with no universal moral truths. The correct answer is option b.
Step-by-step explanation:
Which of the following is not one of the characteristics of the postmodern view of morality, as described by Sire? The answer is 'Postmodern ethics is very similar to modernist ethics in that it is based on confidence in universal human reason.' This statement does not align with postmodernist perspectives, as postmodernism typically rejects the notion of universal truths and objective standards, including those pertaining to ethics and morality.
Postmodern ethics diverges from modernist ethics in several crucial ways. It rejects the idea of a single, overarching moral law applicable to all human beings, irrespective of their cultural context. Instead, it posits that moral relativism is the more accurate ethical stance in our pluralistic world, where societies and cultures construct their own moral frameworks based on their unique traditions and practices. This relativism leads to a view where there are no absolute moral truths but rather a variety of moral perspectives that are all considered valid within their respective social or cultural contexts.
Furthermore, explanatory frameworks such as moral realism and natural law theory that purport objective moral standards are counter to the postmodern view, which leans more towards moral skepticism. The belief in universality, including the universal principles of the good, is therefore not characteristic of postmodern thought.