Ethical Relativism, Left-Wing Politics

Americans think about ethical questions in two quite different ways: sometimes we are moralistic, while at other times we are libertarian and relativistic. Usually liberals and socialists tend to conceive of the moralistic, “old-fashioned” view of ethical questions as a conservative force. But in fact the assumption that all moral decisions are relative and subjective, while it is progressive when applied to such issues as homosexual rights and abortion, reinforces conservative views about economic life. Conversely, old-fashioned, moralistic thinking has progressive potentials to which liberals and socialists need to pay more attention.

Our conceptions of right and wrong color not only how we conduct our daily lives bu...