PAZA, LUKE ROGEL C.

BS CRIM 1B
ETHICS

REFLECTION
What is right and wrong? ‘Right’ is the action that is socially acceptable and in accordance to
the social values, while ‘wrong’ is a conduct that is adverse to the socially accepted behavior.
Basic moral concepts like right and wrong are universal in nature. If we treat them relatively and
subjectively, then they become inapplicable to the society. Generally speaking, morality is the
quality of being in accord with standards of right or wrong behavior. In most of the cases these
concepts are derived from the social norms and traditions.

Cultural relativism seeks to have people judge or view values, beliefs, principles, and practices
within the confines of a particular culture. This means that while the norms may vary from
culture to culture, everyone is right or equal simply because there is no single system which is fit
enough to be used as a yardstick. Now the question comes, “is cultural relativism a valid moral
theory?” the concept of moral or ethical systems, which vary from culture to culture, are all
equally valid and no one system is really “better” than any other. This is based on the idea that
there is no ultimate standard of good or evil, so every judgment about right and wrong is a
product of society. In other words, Cultural Relativism allows one to choose what is morally
correct and what is not. This philosophical current of course doesn’t take in consideration the
legal implications of what an individual does believing it is right. But rather the idea that the
society holds that being right is a moral ethic good.

Cultural relativism can be wrong, Because of this ethicists believe that the concept of cultural
relativism threatens the discipline of ethics since, if values are relative to a given culture than this
must mean that there are no universal moral absolutes by which the behavior of people can be
judged. But in the end, who can say what is absolute??? Subjective morals or Objective truth???