Humanties

Dustin Sinski

Ethics 4322 2:30-3:45

Mr. Bell

Humanities 4322 Question #2 Essay

Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual human's beliefs and activities are understood by others in terms of that individual's own culture. In other words, different cultures have different moral codes and standards. It is never true to say that a certain kind of behavior is right or wrong; rather, it can only ever be true that a certain kind of behavior is right or wrong relative to a specified society. As stated by William Graham Sumner, “He says that there is no measure of right and wrong other than the standards of one’s society.” (Sumner pg.39). There are some benefits and some problems associated with cultural relativism.

One of the benefits of cultural relativism is that it allows us to hold fast to our moral beliefs without having to be judgmental about other societies that do not share those beliefs. If we reject cultural relativism then we face a difficulty: if we are to be consistent about our moral beliefs then it seems that we ought to condemn those past societies that have not conformed to our moral code and perhaps even seek to impose our moral code on those present societies that do not already accept it. Another strength that comes with cultural relativism is that it encourages a sense of unity within a culture by maintaining that all are bound by the same rules. It also provides an appropriate set of rules for all within that specific culture to obey and for outsiders to conform to, once they step within the bounds of that culture. For example, when in India I would have to respect their customs by not killing and consuming there sacred cows. The reason for this is that they believe that after death the souls of humans inhabit the bodies of animals especially cows. Cultural relativism stresses the benefits of keeping an open mind and not rushing to judgment. Along with some benefits of cultural relativism there are some ethical problems as well....