CULTURAL

RELATIVISM
GROUP 2
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Instructions: The player's goal is to unscramble a set of
jumbled letters to form meaningful words

CEHITLA TARLUCUL LCATULUR

STAVILERMI MIVILATERS LIMPESRIMIA
ETHICAL CULTURAL CULTURAL
RELATIVISM RELATIVISM IMPERIALISM
 • BELIEFS
• CUSTOMS
• ETHICS
CULTURAL
RELATIVISM
CULTURAL
CULTURAL RELATIVISM?
RELATIVISM?
CULTURAL RELATIVISM?
Cultural relativism is a concept that acknowledges the
importance of understanding different cultures on their
own terms. It suggests that there are no universal
standards for evaluating cultural practices or beliefs, and
that each culture should be evaluated based on its own
unique values and norms.
• The Greeks believed it was wrong
Different cultures have different
to eat the dead, whereas the
moral codes.
Callatians believed it was right to
eat the dead.

• Therefore, eating the dead is Therefore, there is no

neither objectively right nor objective "truth" in morality.
objectively wrong. It is merely a Right and wrong are only
matter of opinion, which varies matters of opinion, and opinions
from culture to culture. vary from culture to culture.
Cultural Relativism is generally
opposed to missionary work.
• When the gospel penetrates hearts and
changes lives, some cultural change always
follows.

• Cultural relativists might oppose missionary

work because they believe that imposing one's
own beliefs and practices on another culture
can be disrespectful and ethnocentric.
THE DIFFERENCES
CULTURAL RELATIVISM
CULTURAL RELATIVISM
The idea that the values,
beliefs, and practices of a
culture should be understood
and judged within the
context of that culture itself,
rather than using one's own
cultural norms as a basis for
judgment.
ETHICAL RELATIVISM
ETHICAL RELATIVISM
It emphasizes understanding
and evaluating these aspects
within the context of the
specific ethnic group's
history, traditions, and
circumstances.
CULTURAL IMPERIALISM
CULTURAL IMPERIALISM
The exercise of domination in
cultural relationships in
which the values, practices,
and meanings of a powerful
foreign culture are imposed
upon one or more native
cultures.
Cultural Relativism
vs. Ethnocentrism
Cultural relativism is the belief that all cultures
are equal and should be respected for their
unique values and beliefs. Ethnocentrism, on the
other hand, is the belief that one's own culture is
superior to others. In today's globalized world,
cultural relativism is more important than ever
before.
Critiques of Cultural
Relativism
One of the main critiques of cultural relativism is
that it can be used to justify practices that violate
human rights.

Another critique of cultural relativism is that it

can be used to silence dissent and prevent social
change.
Claims of Cultural Relativism
• Different societies have different moral codes.
• There is no objective standard that can be used to
judge one societal code better than another.
• The moral code of our own society has no special status; it is merely one among many.
• There is no "universal truth" in ethics; that is, there are no moral truths that hold for all
peoples at all times.
• The moral code of a society determines what is right within that society; that is, if the
moral code of a society says that a certain action is right, then that action is right, at
least within that society.
• It is mere arrogance for us to try to judge the conduct of other peoples. We should
adopt an attitude of tolerance toward the practices of other cultures.
 What if cultural relativism is
TRUE?
• We cannot claim that any culture is inferior. But
we also cannot criticize the cultural practices of
other people.

• We can decide if an action is right by asking the

standards of society. But we cannot claim that
such standards can be improved. We cannot
even make that claim on our own culture.

• There is no such thing as moral progress.

What we can learn from Cultural
Relativism
1. How to escape the unconscious bonds of one’s
own culture, which inevitably bias our
perceptions of and reactions to the world. Not
all of our preference are based on our
standards.

2. How to make sense of an unfamiliar culture.

Keep an open mind.
• Our standards of right and wrong are
determined by the culture where we
grew up.
• Each culture should have the right to
determine what practices are
acceptable or not.
• There is no such thing as an absolute
truth. Everything is relative
depending on the culture where you
find yourself in.
 CONCLUSION
Truth is not subjective, truth is absolute and
there does exist a moral standard to which all
people of every culture will be held accountable.
Since there is no universal standard of morality
exist, no one has the right to judge another
society’s customs.
THANK YOU!
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