Examples Of Cultural Relativism
To understand cultural relativism one has to fully understand the concept of culture. Culture is a shared system of knowledge that a large group of people have created. It is the ‘way of life’ that a group has established. A culture is a society that shares the same ideas of morals, values, experiences, beliefs, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion and material objects and possessions. The essential core of culture is the traditional ideas and the values that come with them. A culture may then either come from actions or from conditioning influences upon further action. (Hofstede, G. (1997). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the mind. New York: McGraw Hill)
Therefore, every culture acts and thinks differently. This helps us understand cultural relativism. This principle was established by Franz Boas in the early twentieth century. In 1887 Franz Boas fully expressed this principle: : "...civilization is not something absolute, but ... is relative, and ... our ideas and conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goes. "
There are no beliefs that one group is superior to the other, all cultures are worthy in their own system and are essentially of equal value. It is a belief that all customs and ethics are relevant to the individual of that culture within the context of his/her own beliefs.
Cultural relativism can also be explained as a belief that the notions of a culture cannot fully be understood in a different context, as in a different language, as
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James Rachel's Argument Of Morality Is Not Relative
1070 Words | 5 PagesAlthough cultures throughout the world are distinct from one another, along with their own unique customs, there are set moral rules that every culture follows which plays a big role, in order for society to continue forward. Cultures are very different as described by James Rachels in “Morality Is Not Relative”. Cultural Relativism means that there are no set moral codes due to the fact that distinct cultures have distinct ideas when it comes to morals. For example, Rachel's supports his argument, by using multiple ways different people lived. Rachel’s points out a rarely discussed situation about Eskimos practicing infanticide.
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Examples Of Ethnocentrism In Avatar
148 Words | 1 PagesEthnocentrism is a situation whereby a group has a belief that their culture is more superior as well as desirable in comparison to other cultures. In Avatar, the humans have an assumption that they have dominance and are superior to the Na’vi tribe. The humans express their dominance by an attack and destruction of the Na’vi tribe’s home tree. The humans are of the opinion that they should educate the Na’vi tribe in the human ways since they consider their ways to be better.
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Cultural Relativism In Social Media
2321 Words | 10 PagesIn other words, “right” or “wrong” are culture specific, what is considered moral in one society may be considered immoral in another, and, since no universal standard of morality that exist, no one has the right to judge another societies custom (Ess, 2009). Cultural Relativism is closely related to ethical relativism, which views truth as variable and not absolute. What makes up right and wrong is determined solely by individual or the society (Ess, 2009). Since the truth is not object, there can be no standards which applies to all cultures.
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Ethical Relativism Strengths And Weaknesses Essay
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Examples Of Cultural Relativism
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