Overall, I view myself as more toward the "Moral Universalist"  end of the spectrum.  I believe that generally all humans have similar moral values which can be found in every existing culture.  I acknowledge that there are some exceptions which are a result of cultural differences.  If you were to present the UN Declaration of Human Rights to a representative of each different culture, they would agree with most all of the philosophies presented in that document.  Every human worldwide has the same wanting of freedom, justice, and happiness.

                Like most people, my standards and values originated mostly from the environment  in which I grew up.  Through my family and friends, I developed a sense of right and wrong and fairness.  This set the foundation for my values to come.  In a sense, my moral standing and core values have always existed, but it was really through this class that I am  able to explore and define what those values are.  A corny metaphor I could use would be that I own a box and I have always known what the contents of that box were, but I can now open up the box and pick through the individual items inside.

Where I view myself more on the universalist end of the spectrum, I recognize relativism and agree with the philosophy.  The moral standards I apply to everyday life can change with certain situations because I recognize that exceptions do exist.   I also see that my philosophy shares a similarity with absolutism because I agree with the belief that there are things that are always right, and things that are always wrong.  An example would be things such as rape and murder.  In no circumstance would I support either of them.