Since normative ethics are universal or cultural truths, universal rules of good and bad, and relative ethics are rules of good and bad to each individual person, there are countless of ethics and truths that one needs to consider on a daily basis. Now when talking about normative and relative ethics, what stood out to me the most in the podcast was that in America, and I’m sure in other countries as well, we can’t even decide on what our laws should be. Throughout the recent election year, I have often thought about the two political parties and why our country is so divided. How is it possible for people to be on such opposite ends of the spectrum with every law, amendment, and decision? How can two people who live in the same neighborhood think so differently, as if they lived on different planets? However, listening to this podcast helped me understand this better.

I grew up in Finland, a small country where 97% of the population is white, Lutheran, and agrees on most political decisions and laws. However, the U.S is such a large country that there are millions of cultural groups within just one state, let alone the entire country. There are so many cultural differences in different geographical areas in the U.S that there is so much room for ethical differences and division within the country. No wonder the country is so divided because if everyone is following their cultural relativism and their own individual ethics, there are so many truths and rules to consider. On top of that, one person can belong to multiple groups, which only expands their exposure to different ethical beliefs. Someone could be Muslim, live in the South, and be a healthcare worker. Between those three, there can be countless of normative ethical differences within one person’s life.

Then we have collective rules, like most people can agree that murder is wrong. But what about our own individual ethics. For example, under murder, there are topics such as abortion. Most people collectively agree that murder is wrong, but is abortion murder? What if the woman was raped, does that make a difference? What about the death penalty? Should someone be sent to death because they killed someone, an eye for an eye? Some people think yes, some people completely disagree. There are so many things to consider and so many cultural and individual ethics that it can often lead to intense disagreements even between family members who grew up in the same household. With America being such a large country with so many different cultural groups, it makes more sense to me now why it is easier for America to quickly become very divided.