Ethical Subjectivism: The Virginia Tech Massacre Case

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The definition of ethical subjectivism pertains that objective morality holds no value and is instead based on the judgment of an individual. This supports the belief that what society holds as a moral objective does not apply to the beliefs and credibility of what another person perceives as just. For someone to develop a critical opinion over the principles of another person would not matter, as the definition implies that both parties would be technically correct. Based on this theory, it would be controversial to convict someone of what society perceives as a crime. This is because their actions are a reflection of his or her judgment and cannot be deemed as improper. So in a sense, a serial killer’s actions are consequently justified under the belief of ethical subjectivism. The Virginia Tech massacre case is a viable example of subjectivism. On April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, a student at Virginia Tech, shot and killed thirty-two students and faculty members before committing suicide. Despite not being convicted, Seung-Hui left sufficient evidence to provide the motive for the mass murder. Before the attack, he had gone to the post office to mail a package addressed to NBC News, located in New York. The package contained videos, pictures of the weapons, and a document describing the attack in detail. In his …show more content…

During the investigation, police found a note in his room that condemned “rich kids”, “debauchery”, and “deceitful charlatans.” Seung-Hui reasoned that they had provoked him to take action, and that it was only right to get even for all the years he had been bullied. Objective morality would state that Seung-Hui’s judgment does not concede with the system of moral ethics established by society and would without a question, be considered a high-level crime. However, according to subjectivism, his actions are justified based on judgment and his perception of what is

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