Preview

Cultural Relativism Definition

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
647 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Cultural Relativism Definition
What one may believe is right and worthy in their own culture may seem taboo in another culture’s standards. This is because of the use of cultural relativism, which is the belief that something is good or wrong if and only if it is approved or disapproved in a given culture. Right and wrong values vary from society to society; therefore, there is no standard base to judge what is universally right or wrong between the different cultures. Because of this, societies may disagree about the morality of what is right and wrong. Gensler believes that if cultural relativism is true, then there are no right or wrong moral values within a culture’s belief, because objective truths can still exist. Gensler finds cultural relativism to be problematic
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    "Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics", by Steve Wilson.
    • 2415 Words
    • 7 Pages

    "Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics", by Steve Wilson.

    The first ethical belief that the author discusses is Cultural Relativism. It talks about the how diversity is becoming more and more apparent between different cultures worldwide. The author mentions that often customs that are unquestioningly accepted in one part of the world are considered abhorrent in another, for example: human sacrifice. Cultural Relativism claims that there are no absolute standards for moral judgment. Basically says that the values that every culture isn't necessarily wrong, just different. I almost completely disagree with this view. The largest problem I have with it rejects absolute truth and its existence. If one were to make the statement "there is no absolute truth," they would have just proven themselves wrong because that is a self-defeating statement.…

    • 2415 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Assess Rachels Critique Of The Main Argument For Normative Cultural Relativism
    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Assess Rachels Critique Of The Main Argument For Normative Cultural Relativism

    In this essay, I will discuss James Rachels’ article “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism”, in which he criticizes the normative cultural relativism argument which is about how different cultures have different moral codes, thus there is no single truth to define “truth” or a correct set of moral codes because the idea of right or wrong varies within cultures. Firstly I am going to explain what the cultural relativism argument is about and then present my assessment of Rachels’ critique regarding this argument from careful…

    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Shaw: Morality and Ethical Relativism
    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Shaw: Morality and Ethical Relativism

    Ethical relativism is a concept in which most simple minded individuals adhere to. According to definition in the chapter, ethical relativism is the normative theory that what is right is what the culture or individual says is right. Shaw argues that it is not very plausible to say that ethical relativism is determined by what a person thinks is right and wrong. He gives reason that it “collapses the distinction between thinking something is right and it’s actually being right.” Ethical relativism may be justified occasionally. William H. Shaw examines ethical relativism by providing comprehensive examples on why relativism is a weak method in gaining morals.…

    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Lenn Goodman Analysis
    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Lenn Goodman Analysis

    ARE THERE UNIVERSAL MORAL REQUIREMENTS AND IS SOME MORALS UNIVERSALLY KNOWN AS WRONG? CHALLENGES TO RELATIVISM…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Soc 120 Assignment Wk2
    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Soc 120 Assignment Wk2

    There are some beliefs and customs that are considered morally justified in some cultures but in another, they are considered to be morally wrong.…

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Kwame Anthony Appiah Analysis
    • 1440 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Kwame Anthony Appiah Analysis

    In our society there is a lot of tension revolving around concepts of morality. Constantly people are debating all over the world whether or not concepts like abortion, homosexuality, gambling, affairs, divorce, contraception, and premarital sex are morally acceptable or morally unacceptable. Right now there are even entire societies that believe the American way of life is morally unacceptable. In Moral Disagreement by Kwame Anthony Appiah, Appiah writes about differing values and morals around the world and within our society. He points out, “we aren’t the only people who have the concepts of right and wrong, good and bad; every society, it seems, has terms that correspond to these thin concepts” (658). However, these concepts…

    • 1440 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Soc 120 Week 2 Assignment for Ashford
    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Soc 120 Week 2 Assignment for Ashford

    Some of us like to believe that we are all born of sin and into sin regardless of what culture, race, ethnic identity, or class. We all have a sense of what is morally right and the relativity of it. There are traits, customs, and beliefs that make us distinctive to certain cultures, races, and classes, which due to the differences we all follow, a set of different moral standards. Each culture tackles moral questions based on their own moral beliefs. Universal moral requirements are presented to show that through differences there is still a huge connection of moral beliefs to show that we are more alike, than we as humans are willing to admit. Relativism maintains when it comes to right and wrong there is neither, because what is virtuous within a particular individual, culture or societies morality must be understood and taken into consideration (Mosser, 2010).…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Cultural Objectivism Research Paper
    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Cultural Objectivism Research Paper

    Gensler argues that this is not true because cultures can have objective truths. Also, moral codes moral codes can be a result of culture but can still show people how to live their everyday lives. The second argument against objectivism is that since cultures cannot come to a consensus on morality, there are no moral truths. The problem with this argument is that just because there is a disagreement does not mean that there is no ultimate truth. Gensler uses as a example that many cultures do not agree on religion, physics and such but that does not mean there is not a truth to these subjects. He also pulls that argument apart by questioning if cultures are as disagree on morality as much as we think. Gensler states that most cultures have the same standards when it comes to killing, lying and stealing. The last argument was that considering there is no way to resolve moral differences, objective moral truths couldn’t exist. Gensler argues farther that even if there was no way to know moral truths that would not mean that there are no truths. He says that there might be truths that we just have no way of finding or knowing about…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Some Moral Minima (Goodman, L.E., 2010)
    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Some Moral Minima (Goodman, L.E., 2010)

    After reading “Some moral minima,” I must agree with Lenn Goodman’s opinions. Though they reflect, to the extreme, his relativism, I agree the topics he chose are all wrong in the eyes of another culture’s virtues and morals. This is a difficult decision because, even if it is true that no norm can be made absolute unless some other is compromised, unanimity is no proper standard of moral universality. We humans and the societies we constitute can be wrong. “Consent is a helpful marker, but neither necessary nor sufficient to legitimacy. Some whose interests are critically affected by our acts have no effectual say in our choices. Principles are principles; no norms delineating concretely, and uncompromisingly, wrong from right” (Goodman, L.E., 2010).…

    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Evaluate 
Rachel's 
Arguments 
Against 
Cultural
 Relativism
    • 1686 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Evaluate 
Rachel's 
Arguments 
Against 
Cultural
 Relativism

    Cultural relativism, as defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. “Is the thesis that a person’s culture strongly influences her modes of perception and thought” Most cultural relativists add to this definition saying that there is no standard of morality. This means that morality is relative to the particular society that one lives in. Prominent ethicist James Rachels has written against this view in his work titled The Challenge of Cultural Relativism. This paper will be focused on evaluating Rachels’ critique of cultural relativism, and whether it was right for him to endorse objective moral realism. Rachels defines this as “a standard that might be reasonably used in thinking about any social practice whatever. We may ask whether the practice promotes or hinders the welfare of people whose lives are affected by it.” That is the moral worth of an action is based upon how it contributes to the society from which it operates in.…

    • 1686 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Moral Relativism Analysis
    • 116 Words
    • 1 Page

    Moral Relativism Analysis

    Moral Relativism is the thought that the moral beliefs held by individuals is influenced and dependent on the culture in which they live in considers tolerable. Hence, what is considered morally appropriate in a single society perhaps is perceived as immoral in a different society. In actuality they both maybe right as they have distinct creators resulting in different laws, diversity, and possibly religious views of each other. Ruth Benedict defends the theory of moral relativism in her article A Defense of Moral Relativism from The Journal of General Psychology. In contrast, William B. Irvine author of Confronting Relativism feels in a few swift examples people can be talked out of their views on moral…

    • 116 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism
    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

    Anthropologists face many problems in the field of studying a culture or society, and many have to do with the fact that much can be misunderstood or misinterpreted because cultures and civilizations may differ greatly. “Eating Christmas in the Kalahari” and “Shakespeare in the Bush” are two perfect examples of real life accounts of the problems that they face in the field, and it is found that in order for anthropologists to be able to truly study a certain culture, they must understand the meanings of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism.…

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Cultural Relativism: The Minimum Conception Of Cultural Values
    • 891 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Cultural Relativism: The Minimum Conception Of Cultural Values

    The idea of right and wrong varies from culture to culture. The five tenets of cultural relativism going to depth defining moral codes. Complications and moral questions arise when one culture begins harming another—Nazi genocide, war, imperialism, etc. Geographic boundaries blur in our technologically advanced, globalized world. The most daunting logical challenge presented by cultural relativism is it hinders a society from judging the codes or values of another society and even our own (Lecture 1).…

    • 891 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What is Relativism?
    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What is Relativism?

    Relativism can be considered as a philosophical stance which assumes that there is always a claim relative to a dependent or an independent parameter. A relative truth, a relative aspect of reality, a belief which is relative to a cause and relativistic ethics come under the dependent parameters category. On the other hand, independent parameters include factors that influence a relativistic stance such as time, gender, religion, location, state of mind and upbringing to name a few.…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Morality and Moral Values
    • 2850 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Morality and Moral Values

    of kindness or an act of cruelty; but cannot distinguish whether is right or wrong because of the culture boundary. A society’s views and their values are exclusively unique and part of their culture; it is like a code in which only they can distinguish what is morally right or wrong. The moral views of two or more societies can be totally contradictory to each other and still be an acceptable action within their own respective society. For example: the controversial topic of gay marriage. Some people might see…

    • 2850 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More