ABID, BAI ZAIDA L.

ETHICS 1:00-2:00
Prof. Wrendolf C. Juntilla September 4, 2020

Reaction Paper
Cultural Relativism
Part I

Considering the world these days, there are millions of cultures centred all over the place.
Looking at the number of cultures in the world, each person is destined to be certain that they are
totally not the same. Although they are unrelated in several characteristics, all of them are
comparable to each other in certain manners. Subsequently, if this is the circumstances, do we as
mankind have the virtue to deduce these cultures as ethically erroneous or merely a cultural
difference? Cultural Relativism is the conviction that we cannot judge the cultural customs of
other people and that we must let them do as they gratify. However, if we cannot judge them,
does it make it fair when they intimidate the lives of others?
As Ruth Benedict famously concludes that we no longer make the mistake of originating
the morality of our culture and we no longer upraise it. Benedict also signifies that we always
find that morality differs in every culture and is a suitable term on a social basis appropriate
customs. Humankind has constantly preferred to say, "It is morally good," rather than "It is
customary," and the point of this inclination is sufficient enough for a serious discipline of ethics.
Whatever is acceptable as normal due to social conditioning is moral. The indication was that
moral philosophies and practices are inclined with customs and conventions, and these vary
greatly between societies. For example, if racism is moral in one's society, then it is moral to
engage in the racist practices that are normal in the society.
Cultural Relativism tests our conviction in the fairness and universality of moral truth.
One of the claims of the cultural relativists is that different societies have different moral codes.
Consequently, there is no certainly impartial ‘truth’ in morality. Right and wrong are only
matters of opinion, and opinions vary from culture to culture. Second claim is that the moral
code of a society determines what is right or wrong within that society. This means that moral
code is thoroughly tied to what individuals have faith in to be accurate yet the code and the
people can be in inaccurate. Third claim is that there are no moral truths that hold for all people
at all times and this signifies that in order to condemn other cultures, we must appeal to broad
principles. The fourth claim which is the moral code of our own society has no special status, it
is but one among many which is true however there would be one moral code better or worse
than others. And lastly, the claim that it is arrogant for us to judge other cultures and we should
always be tolerant of them. We should not allow the whole thing. Humans have done dreadful
things and we can concede moral improvement.
Diverse societies and cultures have diverse rulebooks, diverse customs, rules and moral
wherein it is the primary beliefs and values that serve as the basis for morality. Cultural
relativism truly tells us about the vulnerability of supposing that all our preferences are created
on some complete balanced standard. Cultural relativism has us keep an open mind regarding the
practices of both our culture and the cultures of other societies. It dares the usual conviction in
the acceptance of moral truth. There is no such thing as universal truth in ethics bur there are
only various cultural and personal codes and nothing more. Moreover, our own code has no
special status. It is merely one among many.