It is popular in modern American culture to insist that there is
no such thing as moral absolutes, but I have yet to meet a person who really
believes it. I suspect what they really mean is that they don't want to
be held accountable for their own actions, while still insisting that everybody
else follows the absolutes they reject for themselves.
Let's be specific.
Who wants to be lied to? Employers don't want their potential employees lying about their past experience or present abilities, and if they catch you at it, you're toast. Customers at a restaurant don't want to be told that the food they are being served is clean and healthy if in fact it's contaminated or poisonous. The same for groceries. Nobody wants a bank teller to say you have $1000 in your checking account after she took out all but $10 and put it in her own account. Jokes may be fun for everybody around, but not always for the person on the receiving end. If your doctor knows you are dying of a rare disease, wouldn't you rather know it, so you can spend your final days getting your affairs in order? I have never met a person who wants to be lied to. Truth is a moral Absolute.
Who wants to be treated unjustly? You didn't do anything wrong, but they throw you in jail anyway, just for fun. Or cut your hand off for swiping a loaf of bread when you're hungry. The horror of Abu Ghraib is that these people did not deserve that kind of mistreatment. Justice is a moral Absolute.
The only time people don't want justice is when they really deserve what's coming to them. Then they want mercy. Mercy is also a moral Absolute.
There is probably more to say on this topic, but this is a start.
Please let me know if you see a logical flaw in this analysis, or if you really think there are no absolutes.
First draft 2005 February 3