ABSTRACT
Some of these theorists believed that an ethical theory could be based upon empirical studies — that moral judgments are dependent upon the structure of a society, and that ethical theory must take account of social structure. This social or cultural relativism has not been popular among philosophers to say the least. Critiques of social relativism have become the stuff of introductory ethics courses. The idea of relativism has to be thoroughly rejected, it seems, before one can even talk about ethics. After all, how could an ethical theory have any philosophical justification if it was actually a product of social forces: philosophical justification cannot rest on such historical contingencies. So philosophers today seldom show much interest in en^mcal studies of tte norms and values actually current in society — even the society for which they prescribe ethical principles.
