Pros And Cons Of Cultural Relativism
1. CULTURAL RELATIVISM
a. Definition -The Cultural Relativism perspective of morality and ethics seeks to understand issues of right, wrong, justice, fairness, and related concepts from the standpoint of social customs, practices and norms. A more formal definition of the concept of “Cultural Relativism” is provided by the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. “Cultural relativism asserts that the beliefs and practices of human beings are best understood by grasping them in relation to the cultural context in which they occur”. Based on this interpretation of morality, each society or culture has its own set of distinct moral codes and standards that are exclusive its inhabitants. Although the standards of morality differ from culture to culture, within the group there are strong expectations and codes of conduct that must be adhered to. Without universal adherence to the group’s codes and standards, there would be no cohesiveness and calamity would follow. External values and moral standards are limited in their application and understanding of morals since everything hinges on culture. . Based on Cultural Relativist thinking, all moral systems are viewed as having provincial value for the people/culture that operates within in. There is no cross
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Pros & Cons - There are a host of benefits of the Cultural Relativist approach to understanding morality. The positive aspects of the approach are: (1) ethical values and practices arise from daily living, and are forged based on collective group standards; (2) enhanced tolerance and appreciation of differences; goal is to understand how belief and behavior foster social order and functionality internally, rather than a comparison to external moral values that may not have much practical application to a cultural group; and (3) morality and ethics are more easily malleable to changing circumstances and beliefs; attitudes change more fluidly because of social, moral, and political pressures as well as new
Cultural Relativism Vs Female Circumcision
102 Words | 1 PagesOur moral beliefs indicate the kind of environment or culture we grew up in. Therefore, if we were born in Somalia, we would believe that it is morally right to go through female circumcision as a rite of passage. However, if we grew up in the western world, then we would not believe in female circumcision. We can therefore see the relativist 's argument of cultural relativism in this case, because if cultural relativism exists, then naturally, morality will also be relative. Additionally, to support his stance, the relativist will also argue that tolerance comes into play when it comes to cultural relativism.
Cultural Relativism Vs American Ethics
993 Words | 4 PagesThe study of ethics is learning how other people think and make decisions and to see what moral standards they follow. It is also comparing ethics of the past to the present, and from one culture to another. As well as, seeing if people follow the ethical standards that they say they do. Ethics are in the everyday life, we make decisions based on what we believe. We ask ourselves if it is right or just or does it benefit us.
Cultural Relativism: Rites Of Passage
1580 Words | 7 PagesCultural relativism is the understanding of other cultures in their own terms. To achieve the understanding of the rituals used in the cultures of another, one must be able to look at them from an emic (insider) perspective. One must also be able to look at his own culture from an etic (outsider) perspective. The ability to look at one’s culture from the etic point of view will make it easier to explain the rituals to someone from a different culture, for example, rites of passage. Rites of passage are used to mark a life stage and are celebrated by tradition or religion, meant to separate a specific group.
My Mexican Culture Essay
1048 Words | 5 PagesLas Vegas is where I was born and raised. That doesn’t mean that I just gave up on my Mexican culture. Like many others, I have a culture that is both American and Mexican. My culture has shaped my values, perceptions, and behaviors. The culture of my family, community, and society has made who I am as a person in numerous ways.
James Rachel's Argument Of Morality Is Not Relative
1070 Words | 5 PagesIn this prompt the argument that Morality exists is irrelevant, contrary to our thoughts and beliefs. Everyone follows a set of moral rules. Ethical relativists disagree with this belief because, they believe that morals are distinctive from each individual culture. These relativists as described are mixing up moral and cultural distinctions, or are simply not willing to completely understanding the cultures they are standing up for. There are two different types of relativism Ethical, and Cultural, that rely upon the argument of cultural differences, which have flaws that make the argument unsound.
Ethical Issues In Cultural Relativism
926 Words | 4 PagesThe ethics of cultural relativism are different than traditional ethical theories mainly because cultural relativism dismisses morality. Cultural relativism is named so because the ethics of different cultures
Cultural Differences Argument For Moral Relativism
1178 Words | 5 Pages”(p.19) This shows that in the study of ethics, the study of moral relativism to be more specific, the idea of universal truth does not exist. That is to say what is perceived as “good” or “right” can vary form culture to culture, so there is no way to have one universal truth. Two major examples of cultural differences that are often cited in Support
The Pros And Cons Of Objectivism
1091 Words | 5 PagesObjectivism Pros • Advocates for “independent thinking, productiveness, justice, honesty, and self-responsibility” (Biddle, 2014). o As educators we encourage independent thinking and when it comes to online learning, one will need to be able to think independently as sometimes the course will be asynchronous. • Objectivism advocates scientific advancement, industrial progress, objective (as opposed to “progressive” or faith-based) education” (Biddle, 2014). • “Every principle is derived from the observable facts of reality and the demonstrable requirements of human life and happiness” (Biddle, 2014). o I feel that my district is doing this currently with their “visible learning walkthroughs.”
Latin American Culture Vs Western Culture Analysis
1591 Words | 7 PagesCulture refers to the common beliefs and behavior patterns of a group of people. In an organizational setup, it refers to the common values that the stakeholders of the organization share, and impact their decision-making process. According to Cristina De Rossi, “Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and a million other things” (De Ross, 2015). Western culture refers to the cultures that are heavily influenced by European cultures, and has its roots from the Greco-Roman cultures as well as Christianity and spread through immigration to other parts of the world. Eastern culture is the culture of the Eastern Asian countries including China, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, and India (Zimmermann, 2017).
Examples Of Moral Values In The Outsiders
702 Words | 3 PagesJust like how the idiomatic expression “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” is perceived, ‘moral values’, to a different person, has a distinct meaning. Moral values, more often than not, are defined according to the cultural beliefs. Each culture has its own sets of rules and beliefs to determine what is crucial, trivial, right, wrong, good and bad. For instance, it is vital for Chinese children to practice filial piety as it is an essential value of Chinese traditional culture (POŠKAITĖ, 2014); hence, living with parents, regardless of the marital status, is the right thing to do for it is good. On the contrary, Western children are not entitled to such obligation.
Analysis Of Trying Out One's New Sword By Mary Midgley
251 Words | 2 PagesBased off of this reading piece “Trying Out One's New Sword by Mary Midgley” there was many possible arguments. The argument I picked was outsiders can judge. Midgley argues that not only is moral isolationism but that outsiders can judge foreign cultures, if on a provisional basis. Midgley argues that moral isolationism leads to a general ban on moral reasoning a disagreeable conclusion.
Arguments Against Cultural Relativism
1020 Words | 5 PagesEvery society has its own unique cultures in which people will have different ideas of moral codes. The diversity of these cultures cannot be said to be correct or incorrect. Every society has independent standards of ethic within their society and these standards are culture-bound. Cultural Relativism has a perception in which rightness or wrongness of an action depends entirely within the bounds of the culture. This theory opposes the belief in the objectivity of moral truth.
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.
Ethical Relativism Strengths And Weaknesses Essay
2607 Words | 11 Pages(Luco, Week 3 Notes, p.9) Cultural Relativism is simply a combination of the following three theses: 1. The only criterion of moral truth or falsehood is the moral code of a cultural group. 2. A moral claim is true, relative to a culture’s moral code, if and only if the claim is generally accepted within that cultural
Examples Of Cultural Relativism
827 Words | 4 PagesCultural relativism has a variety of definitions, but the main idea is that a universal code of ethics does not exist--it varies culture to culture. Rachel’s examines cultural relativism in “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism” and argues that there are commonalities of ethics throughout every culture. Rachels sections off his argument to better explain what they believe. In this piece, they argue that cultural relativism is not a proper theory. They argue that it has many major flaws, but they acknowledge that parts of theory have some truth to it.
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