1. Many of us tend to say that we can always distinguish what is truth and false.
Although everyone would come up with same answer for matter such as, “1+1=2”,
“5×6=30” since there is only one answer for mathematics, we might come up with
different decision of what is right and wrong about what they see, experience and solution
to the Issues. These phenomena could be explained by relativism theory. Relativism
states that there is no such thing as absolute truth that exists in an objective way
independent of what anyone happens to believe is true. According to Roger Ebert, there is
no absolute distinction between truth and falsity because truths are subjective and based
on human interpretation and perception so anything could be accepted as truth.
Plato would disagree and would argue that absolute truth exists and beliefs are
not truths if they cannot be proven according to James-Lange Theory. Plato would use
three aspects of this theory; truth is public, truth is independent and truth is eternal.
Absolute truth exists because truth is for everyone so it aspect P is true, it is true for
everybody and it aspect P is false, it is false for everyone. Second aspect of James-Lange
Theory says that aspect p may be false even if everyone think it’s true and p may be true
even if everyone thinks it’s false. Third aspect argues that a true statement is true, was
true and always will be true. For example, let’s put those three aspects into mathematic
problem, “5×6+2”. The real answer is 32, but some or everyone who solved this problem
might say the answer is 40. The answer is 32 even if everyone solved this came up with
different answer and it would never change even if they tried hundreds of time and came
with same answer because truth is absolute. Those three aspects conclude that the truth is
absolute.
On the other hand, relativism supports the thesis statement that there are no
absolute distinctions of what is right and wrong due to the difference in our perceptions.
Let’s say a few people who believe in different religions are hanging out on weekend.
They see a person eating beef in a restaurant and one of them screams and says that it is
wrong to eat beef because cow is a holy animal in Hinduism. However, the other two do
not consider beef as forbidden meal to eat because one of them believes in Christianity
and the other in Buddhism. Later on, they talk about the existence of the god. Two who
believes in Hinduism, and one believes in Christianity believe that the god exists since
both religions have god, but the one who believes in Buddhism does not because they
don’t have any god in their religion. As this example shows, people have their own
distinction of what is right and wrong based on their beliefs such as religion.

2. The distinction of what is right and wrong also has to do with ethical decision.
Moral relativism states that our values are determined by the society we grown in and
there are no universal values. Moral values are simply customs or conventions that vary
from culture to culture (de Lagemaat). The diversity argument states that the sheer variety
of moral practices suggests that there are no objective moral values. For example, it is
shocking that although killing, stealing and discriminations are considered wrong action
and this sounds like a universal fact, anthropologists argued that there are or have been
cultures, which have permitted such things as slaves, female genital mutilation, killing
adulterers and unproductive members of society (de Lagemaat). Therefore, in some
cultures stealing may not be considered wrong. The morality, the sense of what is right
and wrong depends on the eye of the beholder.
Many would answer yes when they are asked whether absolute distinction of
what is right and wrong. However, this is because almost all of us live in the society
where people have the same cultural values. Those who live in foreign countries would
definitely say no because they are living in different society where people share different
cultural and moral values from them. There seems to be absolute truth because killing and
stealing are prohibited by laws in most of the countries, but when we take closer looks at
other culture, we can find many aspects that are different from our own values. Therefore,
there is no absolute distinction of what is right and wrong since our moral values that
judge what is right and wrong are determined by the society we grow up and thus people
in the world do not share universal values.