Where did the "there is no universal moral law" meme come from?

1. Do right and wrong exist? Or are they just preferences, like preferring chocolate ice cream?

2. What is right or wrong is up to each individual person to decide

3. Is this right?

4. or wrong?

5. the same idea can be expressed this way:

6. There are no universal moral laws

7. BUT

8. “There are no universal moral laws” IS a universal moral law

9. The “law of noncontradiction” is the most fundamental law of rationality

10. a statement cannot be both true and not true at the same time

11. “What is right or wrong is up to each individual person to decide” is an ethical position called “moral relativism”

12. it is not any more self-evident

13. than other ethical positions

14. such as natural law philosophies:

15. People perceive injustice naturally

16. And these perceptions are very similar in different cultures:

17. There is a universal moral law written in the human heart

18. It is wrong To betray a friend

19. It is wrong To harm the innocent

20. It is right To help the poor

21. It is right To show mercy

22. Many major moral philosophers have believed some version of Natural Law Morality

23. One reason they reject moral relativism is that it leads to conclusions

24. That are repugnant to reason

25. If moral relativism is true, there is no rational way to choose

26. between Barnes or Elias (in Platoon)

27. If moral relativism is true, there is no rational way to choose

28. between Adolph Hitler or Mother Theresa

29. If moral relativism is true, there is no rational way to choose

30. between Rachel Scott or those who killed her at Columbine

31. If moral relativism is true,

32. reason fails

33. If reason fails

34. there cannot be justice

35. SO,

36. If moral relativism is not self-evident

37. And if moral relativism is notstrongly Supported by Reason (Moral Philosophy)

38. How did moral relativism

39. become so widespread in America?

40. Why do so many young people repeat slogans from moral relativism as though they are obvious truths?

41. This is a Historical Question (rather than a moral or a philosophical one)

42. moral relativism was advocated by cultural critics

43. inspired by Marxist philosophy:

44. the “New Leftists” (during the 1960s)

45. After the sixties, New Left intellectuals went on to influential positions in universities & the media

46. “Demoralizing” America Was a step preparing people to accept the secular state as the source of all values

47. Karl Marx believed there were no universal moral codes Ethics were relative to the economic situations of each individual society

48. How has America Changed Since the 1960s?

49. One of the most influential works of sociology in recent years is Bowling Alone By Robert Putnam

50. His thesis is that America has undergone a dramatic loss of “social capital”

51. Social Capital Includes forms of Community and relationship that are as important as money

52. The title, “Bowling Alone” Comes from his data: Since the 1960s, league bowling has undergone a dramatic decline.

53. “social capital”

54. Membership in bowling leagues peaked in the mid-1960s. “social capital”

55. What was more significant: many measures of community began to decline in the 1960s

56. Voluntary Club Meeting Attendance His thesis is that America has undergone a dramatic loss of “social capital”

57. Charitable Giving His thesis is that America has undergone a dramatic loss of “social capital”

58. Trust: Can Most People Be Trusted? His thesis is that America has undergone a dramatic loss of “social capital”

59. other measures of the well being of society have gone up

60. Greed Among College Freshmen, 1966-1978 Other measure of the well being of society Have gone up

61. Crime: Hiring of police and guards Other measure of the well being of society Have gone up

62. Is society getting better?

63. or worse?

64. From the viewpoint of moral relativism

65. the question has no meaning