...Thought-Piece 2 Relativism, Cultural and Moral People in different cultures, as well as people within a given culture, hold different moral views on particular issues. Some members of our society believe that abortion is immoral, and others believe that it is morally permissible. Thus, it is very important that we distinguish what is often called cultural and moral relativism. Differing views regarding the morality of a given action or practice may be the result of a number of factors. Two societies may basically and ultimately disagree on moral principles, but the disagreement may also be on many other levels. For instance, two societies may adhere to a basic principle: What helps the society flourish is moral and what hinders it is immoral. Differing conditions therefore provide a reason for holding different actions to be moral or immoral. A society’s factual beliefs also affect what it holds to be moral or immoral. Some societies believe what is false. To some extent, this is probably true of all societies. However, most societies are aware that they obtain more and more factual knowledge as they develop and progress in life. Just as a society may be mistaken about the proofs, so it may be mistaken about some of its moral judgements. The saying “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” has limited applicability. One clearly should observe local etiquette and other such customs in countries other than one’s own. So, when in Rome, one should indeed do as the Romans...
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...CULTURAL RELATIVISM Cultural Relativism is the idea that a culture is relative to a particular area. Right and wrong are defined by what a particular culture says is right and wrong. Different cultures have different moral codes therefore, there is no universal truth. We are not in the position to judge one culture based on our own culture. We cannot say to a particular culture that their actions are wrong just because it opposes our culture. A cultural relativist would say we should always be tolerant of them since morality varies for each culture because each society adapts differently according to their environment. For example, the Callatians ate the bodies of their dead fathers out of respect and to have their father’s spirit live in them even after they’re gone, while the Greeks practiced cremation and regarded it as the natural and right way of letting go of the dead. Like what Rachels said, “What is thought right within one group may horrify the members of another group, and vice versa.” (p.14) To support this argument, Cultural Relativists have stated (1) Different cultures have different moral codes. (2) Therefore, there is no objective truth in morality. Right and wrong are only matter of opinion, and opinions vary from culture to culture. (p. 18) However, Rachels doesn’t agree with this because the conclusion doesn’t follow the premise. He used the example of the Greeks and Callatians. The Callatians believed that it was right to eat the dead, but the Greeks...
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...Ethical Relativism Name: Tutor: College: Course: Date: Introduction Several cultures, individuals and historical periods have a belief that nothing is objectively right or wrong in ethics. They hold different views concerning what should and/or what should not be done. Therefore, ethical relativism can be defined as a predisposition to make ethical choices, on the basis of what seems to be precise or reasonable according to an individual’s value system or belief. It supports the theory that argues that knowledge is relative to the limited nature of the mind, and the conditions for knowing. Ethical relativism views that there are several ethical truths that depend on the groups or individuals holding them. In the most basic terms, ethical relativism is the belief that different things are true and right, at different times, and for different people (Trevino & Nelson, (2011). Ethical relativism can be applied in the solution of several problems in the society today. One of those problems is corruption, which has affected nearly all countries of the world today. There are more than a few forms of corruption practiced today. However, in the American culture, for instance, the main forms of corruption include bribery, graft, patronage, nepotism and cronyism, kickbacks, unholy alliance and embezzlement (Paul, Miller & Paul, (2008). The two forms of corruption that were discussed and found to affect the Kentucky Fried Beef Company...
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...Ethical relativism Ethical relativism is when an action that is being practiced is thought to be moral in one country but can be immoral and made illegal in another country. Whether it is right or wrong depends on the social norm in that culture or part of the world. There is no universal moral standard or global law that the world has to abide by at all times. Ethical relativism can also be based on personal moral beliefs based on emotion rather than reason. The reason why ethical relativism is so pervasive in American society is because the United States is occupied with many different races and culture from all around the world. It is also a country where you have the freedom to do what you want within reason. You have a country where people are going to bring their beliefs here whether right or wrong. Also, people who were born here were taught a certain way growing up. I believe that this goes back to personal beliefs you have as a person. As people grow up, they tend to think for themselves and start to have personal beliefs and emotions whether they are right or wrong on something. I believe that people eventually will do what they even thought they know it’s morally wrong. For example, serial killers kill people and they know it morally wrong and illegal to do so but they still do it because personally they feel the act is justified for whatever reason. Another example is in a show called “Dexter”, where the main character Dexter is a serial killer. His...
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...What is cultural relativism? According to dictionary.com,“the concept that the importance of a particular cultural idea varies from one society or societal subgroup to another, the view that ethical and moral standards are relative to what a particular society or culture believes to be good/bad, right/wrong.” But what does this mean in our society? It means the each culture that each of us are from have set what we view as ethical and moral. That what is okay in our circle may not be what another set of people from another culture believes is okay. Not everyone believes the same thing and those around us have shaped and molded us to believe in the same as those before us. This is what is meant by cultural relativism and how it effects our views on what is and is not ethical. While each culture has their own values and morals which leads them to believe what is ethical this does not always give someone a way out when it comes to the law or in a group other than the society they grew up in. It is important to know about the area you are in and know how each culture works. It is important to continue learning about other cultures. Learning about other cultures and societies will also help you see things differently than how you were taught while growing up. One of the social issues that each culture handles differently is cheating. This is depict in the comic that was assigned to this assignment. On the board in the classroom it states, “How important are ethics in today's society...
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...Cultural Relativism Cultural relativism, or CR, is the view that good and bad are determined by the beliefs of a society, or in other words, moral principles are based upon the culture’s collective norms of what is good and bad. Normality is culturally defined. This implies that morality is a social construct and therefore the moral codes you hold, are a direct reflection of the societies codes in which you live. Further, the morals held by your society are not objective facts, but rather, varied from culture to culture. Neither side is wrong in their belief, despite the fact they are different beliefs. Relativism argues that not passing judgments against cultures allows for a greater sense of cultural appreciation. We don't lock other cultures in judgments, but rather are tolerant and accepting of them. Cultural relativism teaches us to view other cultures with a nuanced outlook, and to not immediately assume (as many people do) that our own preferences are the absolute best ones. Many (though not all) practices, customs, and beliefs may seem odd or even repulsive, but they’re generally harmless as far as their ethical consequences. From the tolerance and open-mindedness offered by cultural relativism is a chance to learn about other cultures and ways of doing things. Opponents of cultural relativism offer some strong arguments against this theory. First, it doesn’t allow you to question society’s norms. In asking whether slavery was right or wrong, you would merely be asking...
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...Moral relativism Moral relativism is the philosophical theory that morality is relative that different moral truths hold for different people in different cultural. According to moral relativism, there is no goodness or badness in the abstract; there is only goodness or badness within a specified context. An act may thus be good in one cultural setting but bad in another, but cannot be either good or bad full stop. Those who reject relativism, of course, have arguments of their own: In some cases, it does seem to be right to judge one culture to be morally superior to another, to make cross-cultural comparisons. To make cross-cultural comparisons, though, one needs a cross-cultural standard, which is precisely what moral relativism says there isn’t. Not only does moral relativism entail that we cannot make legitimate moral comparisons of different cultures, it also entails that we cannot make legitimate moral comparisons of a single culture across time; we cannot judge whether a changing society is getting better or worse. Generally, though, we do think that we have made moral progress. Moral relativism, arguably, cannot make sense of this. Moral philosophy Moral philosophy refers to the basic rules or principles that people use to decide what is right or wrong. Although there is no single moral philosophy that every culture, every nation, even every people accepts, there are still some moralities are widely accepted. Such as honest, integrity, and fairness which was mentioned...
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...The Challenge of Cultural Relativism Cultural Relativism is what seems right and wrong from culture to culture. Every society has their own set of values and moral codes. It breaks down to a matter of opinion. When you grow up in a certain society you learn what is accepted as right and wrong. Not every culture is going to agree on what’s morally right because there is no set standard. Every culture could be objectionable to another’s set of moral codes. In some cultures its common practice to kill newborns if they are females as other cultures find this to be terrible. In other cultures some eat the flesh of the dead while other cultures would see this as a sickening act. In areas around Arabia women are looked down upon and viewed as property. Even here in America other countries disagree with how our society runs. Even a lot of the people here in the same country disagree too. Some values that are shared through all cultures would be like protecting one’s family, being honest, and murder is bad. Cultural Relativism may seem appealing when first introduced especially as children because it’s how we first learn to behave in society. We’re not open minded to seeing other view points and get to get a glimpse inside other culture’s. It’s what we learn as what’s right and what’s wrong with not much middle ground. Cultural Relativism can’t be true because in different cultures there are different sets of moral codes, so there is no truth in morality, it’s all different opinions...
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...| Paper 1 | | | | Paper 1 | | | Phil 140 April 6, 2012 Authored by: Willie Moore Phil 140 April 6, 2012 Authored by: Willie Moore Cultural Relativism challenges our belief in the objectivity and universality of moral truth. Cultural Relativism also holds that that the norms of a culture reign supreme within the bounds of the culture itself. Cultural Relativists believe that there is no such thing as universal truth in ethics; there are only the various cultural codes, and nothing more. There are five claims that are made by cultural relativists: 1. Different societies have different moral codes. 2. The moral code of a society determines what is right within that society; that is, if the moral code of a society says that a certain action is right, then that action is right, at least within that society. 3. There is no objective standard that can be used to judge no moral truths that hold for all people at all times. 4. The moral code of our own society has no special status; it is but one among many. 5. It is arrogant for us to judge other cultures. We should always be tolerant of them. There are three problems Rachel has with Cultural Relativism: 1. We could no longer say that the customs of other societies are morally inferior to our own. 2. We could no longer criticize the code of our own society. 3. The idea of moral progress is called into doubt. Ethical Subjectivism is the idea that our moral opinions are based on our feelings and nothing...
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...Cultural Relativism Response Essay James Rachel overall definition of Cultural Relativism to me is someone’s belief that challenges our everyday belief in morality. Rachel gives us examples of what’s right and one cultural can be wrong or immoral in another. In the example of the cremation of the dead of the Greeks and the eating of the dead fathers of the Callatians. Rachel then present the idea of the different cultures views to one another and the two cultures both felt like it was immoral. Now me personally I think bout the ideas of cannibalism and cremation are immoral but Rachel explains how can one say wrong base on their moral codes and teaching is. This helps me realize in Cultural Relativism that in this world not every society believes in the same morals and ethics so there’s no truth in morality. Rachel gives his arguments towards Cultural Relativism that it shouldn’t be accepted completely. The changes or advances society makes can be improvements. That some cultures old beliefs were wrong for example slavery and the killing of the Jewish. So I get the impression that nothing’s wrong with the society if it’s accepted within. The cultural(s) who still believe the world is flat I believe that this shows Cultural Relativism because many other society know its round but the acceptance of the “flat” thinking is accepted which may lead to moral improvement. The reading also proves to me that we cannot judge societies base on the beliefs of others. Rachel talks...
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...Empire State College Ethical Relativism Beau Fletcher An Introduction to Philosophy Professor Nicholas Hardaker The world is an immensely diverse and unique place with societies that are radically different from one another. Relativists argue that there is no universal ethical standard to identify what is right or wrong; instead, it is up to each society to develop a moral standard that is most compatible with their distinctive culture. Ethical Relativism argues that people should act within the moral standards set forth by their specific culture. It is also important to note that a society can evolve (as well as regress) over time, making way for a revised set of moral standards that are more compatible with sociological views at that time. I found it hard to identify many of my peers as having either a relativist, or absolutist position within the discussions. Many seem to have a conglomerate of the ‘best’ ideals from both sides of the spectrum. There are however, some great examples of both absolutist and relativist minds in the class discussions, being able to look at exactly how they both apply their reasoning to arrive at radically different stances on some fundamental questions about ethics and moral standards. Before I get into defining some examples of both relativist and absolutist ideologies, I want to start with a post from week two that is an excellent example of relativism in action and that shows how radically two different society’s moral standards...
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...Fabio Cuetara Philosophy October 15, 2011 Right or Wrong Ethical Relativism is the belief that nothing is objectively right or wrong and that the definition of right or wrong depends on the prevailing view of a particular individual, culture, or historical period. Different cultures have different ethical and moral standards that might seem odd or wrong but if they are justifiable and or not completely forced upon a group then there should be nothing wrong with said act. I agree with ethical relativism, to a certain extent, the fact that people in our modern culture criticize or judge people in others for what they do and why they do it is morally wrong. We have never had an absolute ethical standard in history so just because we think something is right or wrong doesn’t mean it is, different people respond differently to certain ideas and actions. Ethical Relativism shows us that some practices are ethically right in their respective cultures and that we should respect other people’s ethical decisions if they are made out of necessity or choice by the group of people involved. What one culture might think is absolutely horrible and wrong, might be completely acceptable and necessary in another. In other cultures some decisions are made for the survival of the civilization. The Eskimos sometimes leave there new born female children behind in the frigid climate to die. At first glance that seems incredibly wrong and inhumane, but looking further into the reasoning...
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...It is important to consider all objective facts when debating moral topics. Cultural Relativism and Subjectivism make it seem like people have different ideas of what is morally right and wrong. The idea that morals vary throughout the world stems from the observations of different cultural practices and personal circumstance. All these differences that have been observed has created a theory that seems to miss some of the larger picture facts of cultures and personal circumstance. Missing these facts makes it difficult to imagine a universal set of standards, but when all the objective points in a situation are taken into account, it is easier to envision an underlying theme of moral standards. Though the perceptions of the world differ, I will show how there seem to be a consistent root of moral truths underlying the individual cultures and circumstances. Cultural Relativism views morality in an interesting manner. Cultural Relativists have observed that different cultures view many topics differently (Rachels, p17). The Cultural Differences Argument has taken this observation and used it to argue that there are no moral truths (Rachels, p19). Cultural Relativism allows for each culture around the world to practice a multitude of traditions without judgement. Good to recognize, right? In most cases, yes. What about when cultural belief, worried about a girl losing her virginity sinfully, urges parents to marry off their daughter? How about when the only solution to poverty...
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...Relativism is a view that what is right or wrong in some circumstances, people who believe in cultural relativism believe that morality is like a law. (Ethics book page 183). A human does not always agree what is “Right and wrong”. Has no one the authority to answer this question of right and wrong? That question was here at the very beginning of human history. As stated in the Bible in Genesis, God designated a tree that was growing in the Garden of Eden as “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.” (Genesis 2:10-9).Some people growing up in a situation where cheating is good, for some people cheating is bad. Right, and wrong exist as opposite; it only exists in people mind. (Boghossian, Paul, “The Maze of Moral Relativism,” New York Times...
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...The anthropological definition of cultural relativism is that people studying cultures let go of their “esthetic and moral judgments” when they are studying other cultures. It is the idea that anthropologists should build an understanding of another culture allowing it to develop as freely as any other culture in their mind. It is the practice of staying entirely non-judgmental and not allowing personal thoughts and apprehensions to come in the way of understanding another culture. It involves developing the understanding about another culture with an unassuming observance and keeping an open mind to whatever comes across without developing any bias or being judgmental about it. Anthropologists use cultural relativism when on the field by leaving all of their biases and preconceived notions when they study other cultures. They try to ‘forget’ any prior knowledge that they have about the...
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