What is Cultural Relativism?
Cultural Relativism states that the actions that are morally acceptable are those your culture allows it. Because the world is full of different people there are different cultures so there are different moral codes (right and wrong differ). There are some essential rules that all cultures must accept to survive, an example would be do not kill.
Examples of Cultural Relativism
The Eskimos in the north kill the infant girls because the male are much more important to them. The men are the hunters, they are stronger, they provide more for the village. There are more baby females born then males and soon the females would begin to over-populate the village. Women in that culture can only nurse one child at a time, the children are nursed for a much longer period than other cultures' children. They feel that it is perfectly fine to kill the infants that they will not be needing while people in America are disgusted by that same practice.
Another example is abortion. Some people feel that it is okay while others do not. In America we have those who are pro-choice and those who are pro-life. Your belief system completely depends on your culture.
Arguments Against It
We can no longer say that other societies are morally inferior to ours.
We can no longer criticize our own society so there would be no moral progress. How can we improve our selves without judging it by our own standards? You can't.
Each person feels that their own culture is the best because that is the way that they were raised. They wouldn't listen to someone else criticizing the way that they were raised.
What we think!
I don't like nor believe in cultural relativism because I do not agree with many practices in other cultures. I feel that the practices of the culture are their right but I do not have to agree with it. I also feel that moral progress is very necessary to improve the standards of living for others and ourselves in our country. Although, I like the fact that cultural relativism states that we cannot judge what is right or wrong within a culture because it may differs dramatically from ours.
Cultural Relativism states that the actions that are morally acceptable are those your culture allows it. Because the world is full of different people there are different cultures so there are different moral codes (right and wrong differ). There are some essential rules that all cultures must accept to survive, an example would be do not kill.
Examples of Cultural Relativism
The Eskimos in the north kill the infant girls because the male are much more important to them. The men are the hunters, they are stronger, they provide more for the village. There are more baby females born then males and soon the females would begin to over-populate the village. Women in that culture can only nurse one child at a time, the children are nursed for a much longer period than other cultures' children. They feel that it is perfectly fine to kill the infants that they will not be needing while people in America are disgusted by that same practice.
Another example is abortion. Some people feel that it is okay while others do not. In America we have those who are pro-choice and those who are pro-life. Your belief system completely depends on your culture.
Arguments Against It
We can no longer say that other societies are morally inferior to ours.
We can no longer criticize our own society so there would be no moral progress. How can we improve our selves without judging it by our own standards? You can't.
Each person feels that their own culture is the best because that is the way that they were raised. They wouldn't listen to someone else criticizing the way that they were raised.
What we think!
I don't like nor believe in cultural relativism because I do not agree with many practices in other cultures. I feel that the practices of the culture are their right but I do not have to agree with it. I also feel that moral progress is very necessary to improve the standards of living for others and ourselves in our country. Although, I like the fact that cultural relativism states that we cannot judge what is right or wrong within a culture because it may differs dramatically from ours.