Cultural relativism refers to the idea that an individual’s beliefs and practices should be understood based on their cultural background. In such a case, the jury should consider the level of privacy on the beach where the individuals were having sex before the judgment (Yousif, 2020). In Europe, where the two come from, sex on the beach in isolated places is allowed, especially if there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. Therefore, if the two were to be judged based on European culture, they would be considered normal to engage sexually if the beach provided a reasonable expectation of privacy.
If the jury applied the subjectivism theory of ethics to the case, the judgment would be based on the feelings of the two individuals and nothing more. In such a view, the objective nature of the action as to whether an action is right or wrong is not considered. Individuals using subjectivism as the basis for their actions believe that there are no objective moral truths as the individual undertakes activities that they feel are ethically right (Yousif, 2020). According to the Dubai beach sex case, the individuals felt it was morally and ethically right to engage in sexual behavior on the beach. The two may have thought that no people would be at the beach early in the morning, giving them some privacy. Therefore, if subjectivism was applied in the case, the individuals should not be charged for their actions as it would be considered morally right based on their feelings.
From an ideal observer’s perspective, ethical judgments are interpreted as statements about an individual’s truth propositions on a given aspect. In such cases, the judgments are perceived to be made by a neutral and fully informed observer (Yousif, 2020). Considering such conditions, the man and the woman did not have full knowledge of the values and traditions maintained in Dubai, as similar actions are perceived differently in their home country. From the observer’s perspective, the individuals thought it was right to engage in such activity during the early morning hours of the environment. If the individuals were informed about the ethical practices maintained in the country, they would not engage in the activity. Therefore, they should not be charged for the activity since they were unaware of the law and ethical issues involved.
Another common ethical point of view that can be used to examine the case is the supernaturalist ethical perspective. In such a perspective, God is considered the only source of moral rule. Therefore, something is considered morally right based on what religious laws state (Yousif, 2020). An analysis of the case from the supernatural perspective would show that the act was unethical and morally wrong. Supernaturalism is guided by religious teachings, where all believers commit to maintaining a life based on religion. Most religions worldwide are against sex before marriage, which is perceived as unholy. Considering the case, the two had met the previous night and were not married. In this case, the act the two committed was wrong and unethical according to the supernaturalist perspective.
References
Klabbers, J. (2019). Ethics. In A. A. Krugman & F. D. Kempe (Eds.), Concepts for international law (pp. 267–278). Springer.
Yousif, A. (2020). In defence of moral realism: Examining Harry J. Gensler’s critique of cultural relativism and subjectivism. Aristos: A Biannual Journal Featuring Excellent Student Works, 5(1).