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Cultural Relativism:

Cultural relativism argues that ethics is not grounded in universal or objective bases, but is rather
subject to variation across cultures. Cultural relativists are broken down into subsets with strong cultural
relativists, arguing that all ethical ideals are culturally dependent, and soft relativists, arguing that there
may be universal ideals that are modified by cultures in ways that require understanding.

Answer and Explanation:

The strength of cultural relativism is that it promotes greater diversity and understanding of ethical
differences and reduces the likelihood of an imperialist imposition of values. The weakness of cultural
relativism is its propensity towards quietism which may compromise action to protect human rights.
Cultural relativism requires an admission of humility and acceptance of differences in ethical practices.
This awareness and acceptance of differences reduce the likelihood of one group attempting to impose
their values by force. However, cultural relativism also requires that judgment be restrained even in the
face of humanitarian atrocity, such as genocide or oppression, as other cultures are denied universal
grounds on which to object to such practices. This can lead to a lack of action against oppression or
suffering.

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