Using Demonstration Experiments to Illustrate the Pitfalls of Unintentional Moral Relativism

Abstract

Unintentional moral relativism (UMR) is a judgmental phenomenon involving inadvertent misapplication of an ethical standard believed to be objective or absolute. It occurs when a decision maker intends to apply an ethical standard, but circumstances change the application of the standard without the decision-maker’s awareness, such that the standard is inadvertently misapplied. Research evidence and classroom experience show that even individuals who ascribe strongly to moral absolutes are prone to the pitfalls of UMR. This article offers three examples of experiments that can be done as classroom demonstrations to illustrate proneness to circumstantial biases that can influence students’ ethical judgment.