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The Fine Line: Universalism vs. Relativism

Unlike other schools of moral philosophy, universalism views essential moral ideas as yes-or-no questions. For example, if a child were to go to a pizza party, then lie to his parents about it, a universalist would think of this situation as a question of "Should the child have lied?" The typical answer would be a no, because the child has lied to his parents without sufficient moral justification. By contrast, a relativist would argue that the child's actions cannot be stated as right or wrong, because we are viewing this problem from a biased moral viewpoint. The child's moral viewpoint may be that since he had fun at the party and was not hurt in any way, there is no real reason to tell the truth. This, however, is not moral justification but situational justification - the situation is good, so there is no reason, moral or otherwise, to make it less so. The relativist would say that we should tolerate and accept the child's own ideas- regardless of our own so-called "values." If morals are simply bias, however, then what does this mean for a society founded on classical Western moral values?

Universalism and Religion

Moral Universalism

Although universalism is, strictly defined, a school of thought, not religion, most modern religions hold a universalistic view on human morals, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism, among others. Although atheistic universalists will often argue for an evolutionary origin of human morals, religious universalists hold these universal values to be inspired by a deity.

Science Fiction and Universalism

Where Do I Stand?

and Speculative Fiction

Science fiction is, by nature, designed to challenge and examine typical ideas about the world and its inhabitants, and universalism is no exception. Moral relativism is often an important theme in sci-fi; universalistic and especially religious ideals of morality are usually considered rather simpleminded. At the same time, many sci-fi tales present a clear notion of "good guys" and "bad guys," leaving readers to wonder about the author's ideas of good and evil. Although it is possible to write sci-fi from a truly universalist viewpoint, such stories are relatively uncommon.

What is Moral Universalism?

I myself am a moral universalist. Regardless of situation, there is a set of basic moral values that makes us who we are. We all experience the struggle between conscience and desire; put in psychiatric terms, the conflict between superego and id. When our conscience, our sense of morality, triumphs, we learn from our struggles with desire and become all the better for it.The morals that fuel our humanity are a strong theme in my writing; I try to point to these ideals as a model for us as humans in my work, regardless of genre. It is the power of these all-transcending ideals that keeps the inventor inventing, the student studying, and yes, the writer writing.

High Fantasy and Universalism

A highly influential system of philosophy and ethics, moral universalism is the belief that there is a universal system of values that transcends race, ethnicity, gender, and nationality. Although closely tied to moral absolutism, it avoids placing acts entirely out of context with the larger sociopolitical landscape. For example, while some absolutists would argue that the death penalty is wrong because it causes the death of a human being, a universalist would argue that the act is justifiable due to its role in preventing future crimes. Varied philosophers from John Locke to Ayn Rand have all argued for some form of moral universalism.

Universalism is a common element in traditional high fantasy, with the protagonist(s) representing moral good and the antagonist(s) symbolizing darker traits such as jealousy and sadism. This originates from the epic poetry of the Greeks and Romans, which used its heroes to empitomize Western ideals of human goodness. Like our fantasy heroes, however, these heroes often struggled with their own human faults, such as pride and lust, even as they battled the forces of evil. These poems and tales served as an inspiration to writers such as Tolkien and Lewis who helped to found the high fantasy genre.

Ayn Rand (1905 - 1982)

Immanuel Kant (1724 - 1804)

John Locke (1632-1704)

Marcus Aurelius (121 - 180 AD)

Aristotle (344 - 328 BC)

Plato (424 - 327 BC)

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