positives and negatives regarding the concept of cultural relativism‚ but his overall position is that cultural relativism is not a strong philosophy. On the flip side of that Immanuel Kant has a completely different ethical theory that is based around deontology. Despite its positives cultural relativism cannot be defended against Rachel’s criticism‚ but Kant’s ethical theory cannot necessarily defeat cultural relativism. Cultural Relativism is the idea that moral practices and social norms change
Premium Morality Ethics Immanuel Kant
The theory of cultural relativism is based on a valued judgment between beliefs‚ culture‚ and religion. However‚ cultural relativism incorrectly answers the question‚ “What is right?” since there is no right or wrong when considering validity. Cultural relativism creates a belief that is the “highest standard” and there should be no biased opinions. Certain cultures tend to believe that they are superior to others. As a result‚ the different customs that exist are not said to be incorrect or correct
Premium Morality Ethics Religion
studies‚ there is a balance. There is a balance‚ especially‚ in the continuum of the relationship between the concepts of cultural relativism and ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is defined as “a point of view that one’s own way of life is to be preferred above all others” (Rosado). This is an interesting viewpoint on life‚ contrasted by the definition of cultural relativism‚ which is the view that “values that are established by a culture are relative to the cultural ambiance out of which they arise”
Premium Cultural relativism Culture Relativism
Moral relativism is an ethical theory that refers to the concept that there is more than one correct moral judgment. The moral judgments are either correct or incorrect only relative to some specific standpoint. This does not mean that one standpoint is more privileged than any other standpoint. This comes from the idea that cultures from around the world tend to show different moral values; there are no general moral values that everyone in the world shares‚ and no one should push their own moral
Premium Morality Cultural relativism Truth
This is because of the use of cultural relativism‚ which is the belief that something is good or wrong if and only if it is approved or disapproved in a given culture. Right and wrong values vary from society to society; therefore‚ there is no standard base to judge what is universally right or wrong between the different cultures. Because of this‚ societies may disagree about the morality of what is right and wrong. Gensler believes that if cultural relativism is true‚ then there are no right or wrong
Premium Morality Ethics Religion
other peoples‚ in fact‚ the self-evidence of these principles is a kind of illusion.” Upon studying both the term‚ ethnocentrism‚ and cultural relativism‚ I conclude that we need to find a common ground between the two. It is not good to be too much of either. Too much ethnocentrism leads to being close minded and having to much cultural relativism may corrupt our good morals. Individuals can try to appreciate or understand one anothers cultures or beliefs without judgment. America is a
Premium Cultural relativism Ethnocentrism Culture
The authors describe cultural relativism in this chapter. They explain cultural relativism with some examples such as Callatians‚ who lived in India and ate the bodies of their dead father‚ and Eskimos‚ who are native people of Alaska and had distinct moral codes‚ such as marriages‚ sexual practices‚ and infanticide. For instance‚ infanticide was common in Eskimos’ society of the early and mid-20th century. The customs seemed that they had little respect for human life. So‚ the two examples seem
Premium Culture Sociology Cultural relativism
In A Defense of Moral Relativism‚ Ruth Benedict argues that normal behavior varies from society to society; therefore‚ what’s morally right for one society can be morally wrong for another. To support this argument‚ Benedict mentions how certain cultures practice what’s “abnormal” to us without any difficulty. She goes further to give examples of traits that are abnormal to us such as‚ “sadism or delusions grandeur or of persecution” (Benedict‚ 1934‚ p.1) and concludes saying that “these abnormal
Premium Morality Ethics Cultural relativism
define and compare and contrast ETHNOCENTRISM and CULTURAL RELATIVISM. Discuss how you have experienced OR witnessed both concepts in our American Society. Ethnocentrism is viewing your own culture as more superior than any other culture‚ that all other groups are measured in relation to one’s own. Ethnocentrism can lead to cultural misinterpretation and it often distorts communication between human beings. + while cultural relativism is "the concept that the importance of a particular cultural
Premium Cultural relativism Anthropology Culture
two perfect examples of real life accounts of the problems that they face in the field‚ and it is found that in order for anthropologists to be able to truly study a certain culture‚ they must understand the meanings of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Ethnocentrism must be understood so that it can be avoided‚ because it is the belief in the superiority of one’s own ethnic group‚ which could ultimately make it very difficult to truly study and learn about a culture if you are constantly
Premium Culture Cultural relativism Anthropology