I'm a pretty relative person. I clearly have my own set of what I think is right and wrong. My values don't necessarily match everyone else's. Given that information, in your opinion how does one discern the crucial differences between "right" and "wrong"?
I ask only because you seem to believe there is some objective set of behaviors that isn't relative to the individual.
Ahhh, allow me to retort.
So, it is true; I believe that such objective thoughts exist. So that you don’t think I make this stuff up there is a body of philosophy that is grounded in such beliefs, it is appropriately called, you guessed it, “objectivism”. In this body of philosophical thought, “right” and “wrong” are clearly distinguishable. Lean more about “Objectivism by reading the famous author Ayn Rand.
In this particular instance I made a statement that it is “wrong” for a person to be the cause of hurt and pain (I called it the “horror show”) that follows when that person intentionally breaks an existing love relationship. I made no distinction if the relationship was one of marriage or not. It is the pain and hurt that matter, not the marriage. It is through logical thought and reason that I KNOW that such behavior is abhorrent. I know this because I lived it firsthand, my enemy and constant companion.
So, I would say to you that the difference between right and wrong is independent of the relative “feelings” of the offender. I would say that there exists an objective reality that does not depend on how you or I might “feel” about it. It is the end result that is the telling tale, i.e. what did your actions cause? In this instance to knowingly hurt another human being speaks for itself outside of all rationalizations. A thing is what it is. Even more basically, one person's happiness should not come at the expense of another's.
Spoken like a true objectivist. I hope I answered your question and I hope you read more about objectivism. I might suggest that many here would benefit greatly from reading a bit on this philosophical position and then re-examining their condition in the face of some of these ideas. The heart and soul of objectivism is the free pursuit of happiness and its attainment. Sound familiar?
Mr. G