Thanks for the remarks, felix. I understand your reactions.
However, the following was, of course, a tip for Bluesoul for writing a paper on the subject.
"If you choose to have good and evil defined first, you may want to think of what elements of human nature are intrinsic/inherent and view them in the light of what you have defined good and evil to be. "
I think you should read your your own words here, carefully, Merlijn. This paragraph supports relativism as related to good and evil.
This is not to say that I support relativism. I just do not think it is wise to write an essay defending a position, without first defining the essential terms.
I do strongly believe in absolute good and evil. But I do not believe that there is anybody on this world who precisely knows them. It is just like the number pi. I believe it exists as a constant, but I also know nobody in the world know exactly what the exact value of pi (in decimals) is.
Understanding you do not know what 'A' is exactly, is something else then stating 'A' does not actually exist.
Secondly, I do apologies for the remark I made. I hope nobody was hurt by it. I agree that in an emotional state I wrote something that is not a
"genuine attempt to debate" (quoted from felix). The thing is, I do get emotional when I see so many people defend relativism. And it hurts me. The reason is exactly that
a consequence of true relativism is that it leaves no room for any objection against terror, torture, killing, and the like. Most relativists give me the impression to have never realized the consequences of their hold-high believes of relativism.
Well of course there must be equality!
But equality does in no sense equal relativism.
If you defend the idea that everybody is entitled to their own opinion and to do what they themselves see fit, as long as they do not hurt/hinder/kill/.... others, you defend equality NOT relativism!
Relativism implies that everybody may do what they like, no matter the consequences. Because relativism says every set of values is as much true as any other. So, when you are a relativist you should not really care if somebody is a mass-murderer or tortures people, because you deny yourself every ground to reject their ideas and to have objections to their actions. You do entitle yourself to retaliate, but that is just because
'nothing really matters' (which is what relativism actually implies).
I sincerely hope I did not hurt feelings again. Because my intentions are quite the opposite: I want to give people to realize that IT DOES MATTER indeed what happens to themselves, those who they love and others. I believe that one can only truly be rational when one is not a relativist.
There is no rationality in believing in that there is no objective truth, neither in ethics, in morality, nor in any other field. I say this because I do not see a real difference between natural sciences and ethics. That is why my 'motto' is
"Evil is as objective a phenomenon as the suffering that it results in."
Live long and prosper.
Merlijn