A defense of ethical relativism as rhetorically grounded
- 30 December 1981
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Western Journal of Speech Communication
- Vol. 45 (4) , 286-298
- https://doi.org/10.1080/10570318109374051
Abstract
The paper reviews the philosophical stance of ethical relativism and some problems that arise from it. Relativism is sometimes accused of being caught between moral impotence and self‐contradiction. The paper argues that grounding relative ethical values in rhetorical communication rather than in cultures allows relativists to judge other cultures without inconsistency.Keywords
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