Is all morality subjective?

If you were asked whether it is wrong to torture an innocent child, your immediate reaction would likely be one of absolute, non-negotiable horror. Yet, if morality is merely a byproduct of human evolution or cultural conditioning, that horror is no more objective than a dislike of broccoli. This is the central tension of moral philosophy: we live our lives as if moral facts are as real as gravity, yet we struggle to find them in the physical world. To answer whether all morality is subjective, we must distinguish between *where our moral beliefs come from* and *whether those beliefs refer to objective truths*. ## The Case for Moral Realism Many philosophers argue that morality is objective, a view known as [Moral Realism](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-realism/). Realists argue that certain moral claims are true regardless of what any individual or culture believes. Just as the earth was round before humans discovered it, certain actions are wrong regardless of our opinions. The prominent philosopher G.E. Moore argued in his landmark work, *Principia Ethica*, that "good" is a simple, indefinable property that we perceive through moral intuition. Realists point out that when we debate moral issues, such as human rights or justice, we are not merely expressing personal tastes. We are behaving as if there is a correct answer to be found. If morality were entirely subjective, a statement like "slavery is wrong" would merely mean "I dislike slavery," making genuine moral disagreement impossible. ## The Case for Moral Anti-Realism Conversely, defenders of [Moral Anti-Realism](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-anti-realism/) argue that morality is fundamentally subjective. A major proponent of this view was the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume, who famously argued in *A Treatise of Human Nature* that we cannot derive an "ought" from an "is." > "Take any action allowed to be vicious: Wilful murder, for instance. Examine it in all lights, and see if you can find that matter of fact, or real existence, which you call vice... The vice entirely escapes you, as long as you consider the object. You never can find it, till you turn your reflection into your own breast, and find a sentiment of disapprobation, which arises in you, towards this action." In the twentieth century, J.L. Mackie championed "Error Theory" in his book *Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong*. Mackie argued that while our moral language *claims* to be objective, all such claims are actually false because objective moral values simply do not exist in the universe. Ultimately, while our *perceptions* of morality are undoubtedly shaped by subjective factors like culture and biology, the question of whether a fundamental moral reality exists remains one of the most vital debates in philosophy. ## Follow-up questions 1. If evolutionary biology can fully explain why we feel certain actions are wrong, does that completely undermine the argument for objective moral truths? 2. How can moral realists explain the vast and persistent disagreement about moral issues across different cultures and historical eras? 3. If we accept that morality is entirely subjective, on what grounds can we legitimately judge or interfere with the practices of other cultures?