Many critics claim that feminist ethics are relational because they recognize contextual truth. However, many feminists claim that they have as much of a problem with relativism as with objectivism.

Objectivism traps us in a world where an ultimate truth really does exist and Aquinas' (just to pick a random philosopher) knowledge of the way the world works and his moral imperatives and guidelines that were developed by a white, European, Christian, misogynist male who lived centuries before us can really the the Truth. Feminists have issues with this because they believe that experience and the context from which we see the world changes how we recognize truth. They also recognize the past wrongs that have been done by allowing one person or one kind of person decide what is right and what is wrong - when women's voices (or any other groups voices) are left out of the philosophical conversaton, which they inevitably are when a person (such as an objectivist) does not recognize context.

However, this does not make feminist ethics relativist, either. This is because relativism falls into an equally serious, but different trap as objectivism. Relativism allows that ALL views are equally and differently right, that the KKK's racist, sexist, and oppressive ideas and actions are just as right as MLK Jr's fight for equality, because they are in different contexts. This is also something that feminist ethicists cannot support, especially because they lose any sort of moral gound that they really NEED to be able to raise consciousness or educate on the dangers of sexism and all of the other isms in this society. Basically, objectivism tells too many people that one way is the only way and relativism tells people that all ways are equally as good. Neither of these fit into the moral and ethical paradigm set up by feminist ethicists.

Therefore, feminist ethicists have made up their own definition of feminist ethics. This is a that of a particular, but not relative or objective ethics. Particular ethics recognize the importance of the context of an idea or opinion, but they also require that a person must defend and justify his or her opinion or process of thought. A particular ethics therefore allows all people the same possibility of having the Truth, but they also require a justification of belief, avoiding the major pitfalls of both relativism and objectivism.