Ethical Imperialism

Ethical imperialism (which directs people to do everywhere exactly as they do at home) is the term used to describe a situation where a code of ethical behavior or attitude is imposed on another community or society. It is normally used in a derogatory or pejorative sense. Ethical imperialism is at one end of a spectrum with cultural relativism (where no culture's ethics are better than any other's) at the other. With respect to cultural relativism, St. Ambrose (339–397) is given credit for the notion of doing as the Romans do when in Rome. The theory behind ethical imperialism vis-à-vis relativism is absolutism. This means that ethical imperialists aka absolutists believe that, first, there is only one list of truths. This can be misleading because ...