Chapter 1: Lesson 7

CULTURAL RELATIVISM

GE108 Ethics
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Explain cultural relativism
Cite the strengths and weaknesses of cultural
relativism

GE108 Ethics
INTRODUCTION
After studying the meaning of culture, how it is
learned and how it shapes moral behavior, let
us focus on cultural relativism, its meaning and
its strengths and weaknesses.

GE108 Ethics
ACTIVITY
1. Read this statement: "What is true for me is true for me,
and what is true for you is true for you." Do you agree with
this statement? Those who say NO, they don't agree, form
one group. and those who say YES, they agree form
another group.
2. YES group and NO group engage in a debate.
Whoever is convinced should transfer to the group.
Example, at first you are a YES but after listening to the NO
group, you are convinced and so you join the No group.
GE108 Ethics
ANALYSIS
Is there any danger posed by this thought: "what is
true for me is true for me, and what is true for you is
true for you'"?

GE108 Ethics
WHAT IS CULTURAL RELATIVISM?
First, relativism says "what is true for you is true
for you, and what is true for me is true for me."
Analogously, cultural relativism would say,
"what you believe, value or practice depends
on your culture while what I believe, value and
practice, depends on my culture."

GE108 Ethics
WHAT IS CULTURAL RELATIVISM?
In other words, cultural relativism is "the idea
that a person's beliefs, values, and practices
should be understood based on that person's
own culture, rather than be judged against the
criteria of another.

GE108 Ethics
WHAT IS CULTURAL RELATIVISM?
Views moral or ethical systems as equally
valid across cultures.
Believes no system is "better" than another.
Views judgments about right and wrong as
societal products.

GE108 Ethics
WHAT IS CULTURAL RELATIVISM?
Opinions on morality or ethics are
influenced by cultural perspectives.
No moral or ethical system can be
considered "best" or "worst."
No moral or ethical position can be
considered "right" or "wrong."

GE108 Ethics
WHAT IS CULTURAL RELATIVISM?
In the context of cultural relativism, the manner
by which the African woman is treated in
comparison to that of the African man should
not be judged against other culture's
standards. This should be judged in the context
of African culture, not in the context of Christian
culture.
GE108 Ethics
CULTURAL RELATIVISM VS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
However, what the cultural relativist fails to see is
the difference between cultural perspective and
cultural relativism.
A perspective is a standpoint or viewpoint of
something. For instance, the design of a house
can be appreciated from various perspectives,
but it's crucial not to judge it solely based on one
perspective.
GE108 Ethics
CULTURAL RELATIVISM VS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
However, what the cultural relativist fails to see is
the difference between cultural perspective and
cultural relativism.
A perspective is a standpoint or viewpoint of
something. For instance, the design of a house
can be appreciated from various perspectives,
but it's crucial not to judge it solely based on one
perspective.
GE108 Ethics
CULTURAL RELATIVISM VS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Trying to understand one's culture, having a
perspective of one's culture, is needed to
understand people. But it does not follow that
morality must be based only on said culture: the
problem with moving from cultural perspective to
cultural relativism is the erosion of reason that it
causes.

GE108 Ethics
CULTURAL RELATIVISM VS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Rather than simply saying, "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. There is no longer any
perspective, and it becomes literally impossible to
argue that anything a culture does is right or wrong.

GE108 Ethics
CULTURAL RELATIVISM VS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
If we hold on to strict cultural relativism, it is no
possible to say that human sacrifice is "wrong," or
that respect for the elderly is "right." After all, those
are products of the culture. This takes any talk of
morality right over the cliff, and into meaningless
gibberish.

GE108 Ethics
CULTURAL RELATIVISM VS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Likewise, logical analysis of cultural relativism yields
contradictory implications:
Relativism in general breaks down when examined
from a purely logical perspective. The basic premise
is that "truth is relative." If every truth statement is
valid, then the statement "some truths are absolute"
must be valid.

GE108 Ethics
CULTURAL RELATIVISM VS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Likewise, logical analysis of cultural relativism yields
contradictory implications:
The statement "there are no absolute truths" is
accurate, according to relativism -- but it is an
absolute truth itself. These contradict the very
concept of relativism, meaning that absolute
relativism is self-contradictory and impossible.

GE108 Ethics
CULTURAL RELATIVISM VS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Stated in another way:
Tolerance is certainly a virtue... If morality is simply
relative to each culture then if the culture does not
have a principle of tolerance, its members have no
obligation to be tolerant... from a relativistic point of
view, there is no more reason to be tolerant than to
be intolerant and neither stance is objectively
morally better than the other.
GE108 Ethics
CULTURAL RELATIVISM VS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Stated in another way:
If... valid criticism supposes an objective or impartial
standard, relativists cannot morally criticize anyone
outside their own culture. Adolf Hitler 's genocidal
actions, so long as they are culturally accepted, are
as morally legitimate as Mother Teresa' works of
mercy.

GE108 Ethics
CULTURAL RELATIVISM VS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Stated in another way:
If Conventional Relativism is accepted, racism
genocide of unpopular minorities, oppression of the
poor, slaver, and even the advocacy of war for its own
sake are as equally, moral as their opposites. And if a
subculture decided that starting a nuclear war was
somehow morally acceptable, we could not morally
criticize these people. (MacKinnon, et al., 2015)

GE108 Ethics
PRACTICE
1. Is cultural perspective the same as cultural
relativism?
2. Illustrate with an example cultural perspective
and cultural relativism.

GE108 Ethics
SUMMARY
Cultural relativism is "the idea that a person's beliefs,
values and practices should be understood based on
that person's own culture, rather than be judged
against the criteria of another."
Morality is relative to the norms of one's culture. That
is, whether an action is right or wrong depends on
the moral norms of the society in which it is practiced.
The same action may be morally right in one society
but be morally wrong in another.
GE108 Ethics
SUMMARY
The danger of cultural relativism is the idea of
relativism itself. Whether an action is right or
wrong depends on the moral norms of the
society in which it is practiced. What is good
depends on what society's culture considers as
good. What is bad likewise depends on what
society's culture considers as bad.

GE108 Ethics
SUMMARY
Absolute relativism is self contradictory and
impossible. Absolute relativism states "there are
no absolute truths: which is an absolute truth
itself, so absolute relativism contradicts itself.
There is a difference between cultural
perspective and cultural relativism.

GE108 Ethics
SUMMARY
To have a cultural perspective is to understand
people's beliefs, values and practices in the
context of their culture. Having a perspective of
one's culture, is needed to understand people.
But it does not follow that morality must be
based on said culture.

GE108 Ethics