When it comes to ethics, two popular schools of thought are ethical subjectivism and moral realism. Each offers a different view on how we approach questions of right and wrong, leaving us to ponder: which one resonates more with our personal beliefs?
Ethical subjectivism argues that moral truths are not objective facts but are based on personal attitudes, feelings, and preferences. In this view, what is right or wrong depends entirely on individual perspectives. A subjectivist might say, “What is morally correct for me may not be morally correct for you.” It emphasizes that morality is relative to each person’s experience, background, and emotions.
An example of ethical subjectivism in practice might be someone’s belief about eating meat. A person might feel that eating meat is morally wrong because of their emotional attachment to animals, but another person might feel it’s morally permissible due to different cultural or personal views. Neither perspective is “wrong” in an absolute sense—they simply reflect different subjective experiences.
Moral realism, on the other hand, claims that moral truths exist independently of individual beliefs or feelings. Moral realists argue that there are objective standards of right and wrong, and these standards are true whether or not we agree with them. For example, a moral realist would argue that something like torturing an innocent person is universally wrong, no matter what one’s personal opinion might be.
A well-known moral realist, philosopher David Enoch, argues, “When we deliberate morally, we act as if there are objective facts, and this is why moral realism makes sense.” In other words, we often behave as though some things are truly right or wrong, regardless of how we feel about them.
So, which camp do you fall into? Do you believe that morality is a personal choice, shaped by individual experience (ethical subjectivism)? Or do you feel there are objective moral truths that exist beyond personal opinion (moral realism)? Reflect on how you make ethical decisions in your own life. When facing moral dilemmas, do you turn to your inner values and feelings, or do you feel there’s a higher moral order guiding you?