Final answer:
Individual relativism, or normative ethical relativism, poses eight problems. These include issues with justification, explanation of errors, the relativity of truth, swinging to extremes, lack of a third alternative, settling personal values, incommensurability, and inconsistent ideas.
Step-by-step explanation:
Individual relativism, also known as normative ethical relativism, brings several problems that arise when each individual's opinion or belief is considered as the ultimate truth. The eight problems with individual relativism are as follows:
- Justification: What is justified in one community may not necessarily be true for others.
- Explanation of Errors: It fails to explain errors and falsehoods.
- Relativity of Truth: It suggests that truth is relative, which challenges the concept of objective truth.
- Swing to Extremes: Sometimes, in an attempt to develop cultural relativism, individuals swing too far to the opposite end of the spectrum.
- Lack of Third Alternative: People often struggle to find a third alternative between moral absolutism and cultural relativism.
- Settling Personal Values: It questions the possibility of setting aside personal values when studying morally troubling topics.
- Incommensurability: It relies on the concept of incommensurability, where there is no standard of evaluation that applies to multiple moral frameworks.
- Inconsistent Ideas: People can hold inconsistent and contradictory ideas concerning morality and ethics.