Argument against Moral Relativism This article will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both moral relativism and deontology. I will argue against moral relativism by showing that deontology provides a better explanation of our moral intuitions than moral relativism. I will use examples from the film The Ballad of Narayam and "The Challenge of Cultural Relativism" by James Rachels to illustrate why moral relativism should be rejected and deontology should be accepted. Moral Relativism Moral relativism takes the position that moral and/or ethical propositions do not reflect universal moral standards. Furthermore, moral relativism holds that moral truths reflect those of social, cultural, and historical circumstances. It is a sociological fact that different societies have different sets of moral rules. Moral relativism is a theoretical view of morality, which states that right and wrong are always relative to a particular culture. For example, the moral rules of a specific culture determine that there is no meaning to the words “right” or “wrong” other than what the culture dictates as “right” or “wrong.” Moral relativism is unique, in that people's beliefs about right and wrong are relative to their social conditioning, that is, what people determine as truly or morally right depends on what the individual or society believes is right. Moral relativism is not absolute, in the sense that ethical truths depend on variables such as cultural, social, or historical circumstances. Therefore, a moral realist must also admit the truth in the sociological fact that different societies have different sets of moral rules, however, a moral realist must deny that “right” and “wrong” are always determined by what culture dictates as “ Right". or “wr...... half the paper ...... due to old age. For that matter, one could argue that children are a burden to their parents, or even take the issue to a broader level and say that mentally ill, handicapped, or temporarily ill individuals are a burden and should be discarded. Cultures, societies and beliefs are constantly changing and therefore a universal law is needed to determine ethical and moral codes. Deontology provides such an answer. Deontology uses reason, logic, and the categorical imperative to determine what is ethically and morally right. It allows you to establish a universal code, so that changes between cultures, societies and countries do not hinder ethical and moral laws. Moral ethics is a universal truth. They should not depend on the current whim of society. Deontology, unlike moral relativism, focuses on reason and logic and recognizes universal truths.