CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Cultural Relativism
“There is no objective “truth” in morality.Right and wrong
are only matters of opinion, and opinions vary from culture
to culture.”
...A form of Ethical Relativism
• the view that states that moral principles are valid, but
they vary by culture or by individuals.
• By this definition of ethical relativism, two ethical theories
are to be considered: Conventionalism and Subjectivism.
Conventionalism
• holds that moral principles are valid but they vary by culture.

Subjectivism
• This view holds that morality is determined at the individual
level, not a social or universal level. Thus, the only moral
principles that are valid are the ones you believe in—in short,
all principles are equally valid.
ETHICAL OBJECTIVISM
• holds that certain moral principles are valid for all individuals
and cultures.
•Can be: the fixed view, the universal view, the absolutist view
• Fixed view, which says that principles are fixed and do not change;
• Universal view, which includes the fixed view and adds that
principles apply to all people everywhere;
• Absolutist view, which includes the universal view and adds that
certain principles are non-overrideable and true for all situations.
The Consequences of Taking Cultural Relativism Seriously :
• We could decide whether actions are right or wrong just by
consulting the standards of our society. (But what of racism?)
• The idea of moral progress is called into doubt. (So what to say of
our notion of reform?)
• We could no longer say that the customs of other societies are
morally inferior to our own. (But what of war practices? Anti-
semitism?)
Why then are People Reluctant to Criticize Other Cultures?
• We should notice that there is a difference between (a) judging a cultural
practice to be deficient, and (b) thinking that we should announce the
fact, conduct a campaign, apply diplomatic pressure, or send in the army.
• People feel that they should be tolerant. But there is nothing in that
nature of tolerance that requires you to say that all beliefs, all religions,
and all social practices are equally admirable. On the contrary, if you did
not think that some were better than others, there would be nothing for
you to tolerate.
• People may be reluctant to judge because they do not want to express
contempt for the society being criticized. To condemn a particular practice
is not to say that the culture is on the whole contemptible or that it is
generally inferior to to any other culture, including one’s own.
Why There is Less Disagreement than It Seems?
• The difference is in our belief systems, not in our values. If only we will
look closely, there are more similarities than differences.
• Other values must be more or less universal (e.g. truth-telling).
• There are some moral rules that all societies must have in common,
because those rules are necessary for society to exist.

What Can Be Learned From Cultural Relativism?

• Cultural Relativism warns us, quite rightly, about the danger of assuming
that all our preferences are based on some absolute rational standard.
They are not. Many of our practices are merely peculiar to our society.
• It teaches us to have an open mind. Cultural relativism, by stressing that
our moral views can reflect the prejudices of our society, provides an
antidote for dogmatism.