This week you will have one discussion focused on the challenges of egoism and/or relativism discussed in Chapter 2 of the textbook. Your instructor will be choosing the discussion question and posting it as the first post in the discussion forum. The requirements for the discussion this week include the following:

· You must answer all the questions in the prompt and show evidence of having read the resources that are required to complete the discussion properly (such as by using quotes, referring to specific points made in the text, etc.).

· All postings (including replies to peers) are expected to be thought out, proofread for mechanical, grammatical, and spelling accuracy, and to advance the discussion in an intelligent and meaningful way (i.e., saying something like “I really enjoyed what you had to say” will not count). You are also encouraged to do outside research and quote from that as well.

Please read the general discussion requirements above, as well as the announcements explaining the discussion requirements and answering the most frequently asked questions. If you are still unsure about how to proceed with the discussion, please reply to one of those announcements or contact your instructor.

After reading Chapter 2 of the textbook, reflect on the following:

What is an ethical belief that you feel strongly about, but you know it is not shared by some people of other cultures? This can be a belief that certain things are right or good, or that certain things are wrong or bad. (Be sure to differentiate between cultures and societies – a society like that of the U.S. contains many different cultures.)

1. Reflect on yourself:

What are the reasons for your belief? Try to explain as succinctly as possible the main reason(s) why you have the belief that this is right/wrong or good/bad.

Do you consider this to be something you were merely conditioned to believe, or do you think these beliefs represent your own independent thought and reflection? Explain.

2. Reflect on the other:

If you were to try to explain and defend the contrary beliefs of some from another culture, how would you do that? (I.e., do your best to speak from their point of view about why they hold certain beliefs on this issue.)

If you had to identify an assumption, background conviction, or way of thinking that best explains why someone from another culture would have a different belief, what would that be?

3. Engage with the text:

Considering what the textbook says about moral relativism, would you consider your belief to be objective or relative? That is, do you think your belief is true (or at least stronger) in comparison to the other cultures, or do you think it’s merely relative to your own culture?

If you think it’s true (or stronger), explain why. If you think it’s merely relative, choose one of the objections to relativism raised in the text, briefly explain it, and defend your position against that objection.

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