Moral Relativism1

One of the more prevalent worldviews of today’s post-modern generation is the worldview of moral relativism.  This is the view that there is no objective truth regarding morality, that right or wrong is a subjective determination based on preference or choice.  Some common statements a relativist might say would be something along the lines of “There is no such thing as truth” or “That might be true for you, but not true for me,” or “that’s just your opinion.”  Often the emotional weight of such statements seem compelling, but upon closer examination one will discover that the fundamental thrust behind moral relativism is flawed at the core.  Some common flaws with moral relativism:

• Self-refuting.  Moral relativism is inherently a self-refuting worldview.  To the person who states “There is no truth,” the statement itself is being uttered as a truth claim, and therefore the statement is self-refuting.  It is like saying “I don’t speak a word of English.”  The statement contradicts itself.  Let’s take a look at a more down to earth example.  Suppose someone says, “Christians are so intolerant – they think Christianity is the only true religion.”  By saying Christians are intolerant, this person is showing intolerance towards Christians.  The person is also implying that their view is right, while the Christian’s view is wrong.  Ironically, they are exhibiting the same intolerance they are accusing Christians for.

• Unlivable.  Imagine a society where every person lived out relativism to its utter logical conclusion.  Since there would be no regard for objective truths, each person would not abide by any objective standards, rules, boundaries, or guidelines.  Stealing, murdering, cheating, lying – all these things would be fair game in a morally relative society, and such a society would be characterized by chaos and rapid destruction.  No one would reasonably be able to live in a world like that.

These are just a sampling of the flaws of moral relativism.  I would highly recommend checking out some of these online resources below to bolster your understanding of this worldview and its different manifestations.  These are courtesy of Greg Koukl, a Christian radio talk show host and author, who has dedicated his life to the articulation and defense of the Christian worldview:

Radio: Listen to Greg Koukl
Article: Relativism self-destructs
Lecture: Relativism lecture