Absolutism v. Relativism

Absolutism and relativism represent the extreme ends of the ethical discussion of reality (Harman, 2000). They describe the approach that individuals adopt to make value decisions in their lives. Values are the sustenance of human life that provide passion and meaning and are often the motivation that keeps society cooperating toward a common goal. How these values are determined, however, is not done consistently throughout society (Bloomfield, 2003). On the one end of the spectrum are the absolutists who view every ethical situation in life as being a certainty while on the other end are the relativists who view things much more subjectively. For the relativist, nothing is certain.

For the moral absolutist there is a single or universal standard that is equally applicable to everyone. The absolutist believes that there is one moral law all must obey and that there are no gray areas. Everything is...
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