Is Cultural Relativism Always Positive?
Do you feel that cultural relativism is always positive? Why or why not? Under what circumstances do you feel that it is appropriate to condemn the practices of a culture other than your own
Cultural relativism is the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within his own social context.. "In other words, “right” and “wrong” are culture-specific; what is considered moral in one society may be considered immoral in another, and, since no universal standard of morality exists, no one has the right to judge another society’s customs." http://www.gotquestions.org . Diversity of cultures, even those with conflicting moral beliefs, is not to be considered in terms of right and wrong or good and bad. which views truth as variable and not absolute. What constitutes right and wrong is determined solely by the individual or by society. Since truth is not objective, there can be no objective standard which applies to all cultures. No one can say if someone else is right or wrong; it is a matter of personal opinion, and no society can pass judgment on another society. When it comes down to a person being harmed for no reason then its wrong completely.
So, the ancient Mayan practices of self-mutilation and human sacrifice are neither good nor bad; they are simply cultural distinctives, akin to the American custom of shooting fireworks on the Fourth of July. Human sacrifice and fireworks—both are simply different products of separate socialization.
Cultural perspective can help us understand why certain actions are considered right or wrong by a particular culture. “we need to understand the morals of other cultures,” it says, “we cannot judge the morals of other cultures,” regardless of the reasons for their actions. The contradiction of cultural relativism becomes immediately apparent. A society that embraces the notion that there is no ultimate “right” or “wrong” loses the ability to make any judgments at all.
Cultural relativism is the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within his own social context.. "In other words, “right” and “wrong” are culture-specific; what is considered moral in one society may be considered immoral in another, and, since no universal standard of morality exists, no one has the right to judge another society’s customs." http://www.gotquestions.org . Diversity of cultures, even those with conflicting moral beliefs, is not to be considered in terms of right and wrong or good and bad. which views truth as variable and not absolute. What constitutes right and wrong is determined solely by the individual or by society. Since truth is not objective, there can be no objective standard which applies to all cultures. No one can say if someone else is right or wrong; it is a matter of personal opinion, and no society can pass judgment on another society. When it comes down to a person being harmed for no reason then its wrong completely.
So, the ancient Mayan practices of self-mutilation and human sacrifice are neither good nor bad; they are simply cultural distinctives, akin to the American custom of shooting fireworks on the Fourth of July. Human sacrifice and fireworks—both are simply different products of separate socialization.
Cultural perspective can help us understand why certain actions are considered right or wrong by a particular culture. “we need to understand the morals of other cultures,” it says, “we cannot judge the morals of other cultures,” regardless of the reasons for their actions. The contradiction of cultural relativism becomes immediately apparent. A society that embraces the notion that there is no ultimate “right” or “wrong” loses the ability to make any judgments at all.