Question

The view that there are universal and objectively valid moral principles that are relative neither to the individual nor to society is known as _____ _____.

Answer 1

The view that there are universal and objectively valid moral principles that are relative neither to the individual nor to society is known as moral realism. Unlike normative ethical relativism, which posits that morals are culturally dependent, moral realism maintains that some ethical truths are universal and independent of societal and personal beliefs.

Step-by-step explanation:

The view that there are universal and objectively valid moral principles that are relative neither to the individual nor to society is known as moral realism. This philosophical position contends that some forms of morality are objective and can exist independently of sociocultural and individual perspectives. In opposition to this stance are ethically relativistic perspectives, like normative ethical relativism, which hold that moral values and principles are culturally based and thus can vary significantly from one society to another, with no universal moral standards binding all people at all times.

Despite the prevalence of ethical relativism in some circles, a range of philosophical debates and traditions assert the existence of universal moral principles. Such debates have historically sought a third alternative to the dichotomy of absolute moral objectivity (often associated with religion) and complete cultural relativism. Concepts like natural law theory have attempted to root moral realism in the fabric of the natural world, suggesting that certain ethical truths can be understood through reason rather than being completely molded by cultural or individual viewpoints.