Question

Note that your answers to the questions below must be one of the following: ethical universalism, ethical relativism, and integrative social contracts theory.

1. An American multinational's subsidiary in a developing country employs child labor. This is because employing child labor is a legal and tolerated practice in that country, even though it is blatantly illegal and immoral in the US. Which school of thought does this illustrate?

Answer 1

From the above scenario we can say that it illustrates ethical relativism.

Ethical relativism is a theory which means that morality is relative to the norms of one's culture. Whether an action is right or wrong depends on the moral norms of the society in which it is practiced. Which means that the same action may be morally right in one society but be morally wrong in another. Cultures differ widely in their moral practices. Right and wrong simply is what a given society says it is. From the example given we can say that it matches to ethical relativism. Child labor is illegal in US and which is legally done in another country.