Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues
Ethics are generally relative to a person's culture, but not so much to an individual, although there are exceptions. This comes about because people, even though they are clearly individuals, are also significantly affected by the culture of which they are a part (Becker & Becker, 2002). The cultures, however, are often very different, and many of the ethics that are part of a particular culture do not translate to another culture (Fagothey, 2000). This is often why people who are attempting to do business globally have trouble, or commit an unintentional faux pas. They do not realize the differences between cultures, which can be quite pronounced (Fagothey, 2000). Many of these cultural differences are insignificant, but the ones that deal with ethics and ethical behaviors can become problematic for people who are interacting with other cultures for business or pleasure (Becker & Becker, 2002). Additionally, there are people within those cultures who will have ethics...
While much can be learned about a culture and its ethics, the outliers and evolution of the people and the culture will always be something that is very difficult to pin down in any way. That is why relativism can work as a universal theory. It makes the most sense, because it espouses the idea that points-of-view are subjective and relative, and do not have any value beyond that (Fagothey, 2000). The differences that people have in consideration and perception are vital to address where relativism is concerned (Fagothey, 2000). Whether something is relative to a specific situation or a person does not mean it is believed to be relative to anything or anyone else. This is the concept that relativism offers, as it…
