LESSON 2: CULTURAL

RELATIVISM

WHAT IS CULTURAL
RELATIVISM?
• Cultural relativism is the ability to understand a culture on
its own terms and not to make judgments using the
standards of one's own culture. The goal of this is to
promote understanding of cultural practices that are not
typically part of one's own culture.
• WHY CAN'T ALL CULTURAL PRACTICES BE
ALWAYS CORRECT?
Why can't all cultural practices be always correct?
• The world is wide and huge. Part of what makes the world
interesting is that it is home to different groups of people who have
developed their own unique outlook on how to survive and thrive.
These differences led people to view life differently and live
completely different lifestyles. German-American anthropologist
Franz Boaz first articulated this in 1887, "...civilization is not
something absolute, but ... is relative, and .. our ideas and
conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goes." However,
the first to use the term "cultural relativism" was philosopher and
social theorist Alain Locke in 1924. Cultural relativism explains why
one behavior or practice is completely acceptable by a particular
group of people, while it is taboo in another. It refers to the idea that
values, knowledge, and behavior of people must be understood
within its own cultural context, and not by the standards of other
cultures. Hence, all moral and ethical standards (or the judgment of
what is right or wrong) is valid and there is not "one" standard that is
"better" among all others.
Philosopher and university professor Dr. James Rachels
(1941-2003), in his book the Elements of Moral Philosophy ,
laid out five claims of Cultural relativism as to why right or
wrong is only a matter of Cultural standard. These are:

1. Different society have different moral codes.

2. The moral code of a society determines what is right or
wrong. These is no objective standard considered better than
others.
3. There are no universal moral truths.
4. The moral code of particular society has no special status.
It is but one among many.
5. It is arrogant for one culture to judge another culture.
These should be tolerance among cultures.
The Advantage and
Dangers of Cultural
Relativism
Rechels Identified two positive lessons we can learn from cultural relativism
1. It's warns us from assuming that our preferences are the absolute rational
standard.
2. It teaches us to keep an open mind and to be amenable in discovering the truth.

Many of our practices are relevant only to our particular community. This implies
our moral views are a reflection of our society. Cultural relativism makes us
understand that what we think as truth may actually be just the result of Cultural
conditioning.

On the other hand, Dangers of Cultural relativism are:

1. We cannot call out societal practices that promote harm.
If cultural relativism is true, then we would not condemn what helter and the Najis
did against the Jews, Apartheid in south Africa , or any form of maltreatment,
damage, injury, or destruction that one community inflicts upon anyone or anything.
2. We cannot justifiable criticize our own culture's harmful practices.
This implies that to decide whether your action is right or wrong all you need to do is check
whether your action is in accordance with the standards of YOUR society. If your actions are
in line with your culture, then you have done nothing wrong - even though your actions were
harmful. After all, if it is true that you cannot criticize other cultures, the all the more can you
not criticize your own culture since people in your group accept it way of life. For example, if
cultural relativism is to be allowed then 2016 metro manila Film Fest officials did not have the
right to take back the Fernando Poe Jr. Memorial award granted to the "Oro" where a dog
was really slaughtered in the movie because dogs as "pulutan" is part of an issue.

3. The idea of social progress becomes doubtful.

Progress means replacing something old with something better. However if cultural relativism
is to be fallowed, by what standards do we say that a society has become better ? The idea of
social reform is now eradicated because we are prohibited from judging one society as better
over others. For example, Spanish colonial era was in effect a different society than modern
Philippines. Hence, we cannot say that Filipinos have made social progress from being slaves
to conquistadores into a freedom - loving society because slavery during the Spanish colonial
era was the norm; and it was a different time compared to modern Philippines.
Why there are Universal
Values ?
The dangers that cultural relativism present led thinkers such as ethics
expert Dr. James Rachel to reject culture relativism because it is
implausible. the empirical basis of cultural relativism is that cultures are
dramatically different in it's views of what is right or wrong. however
when it come to important moral issues,
There are three are values that are universal.

1. Caring for the Young

2. Murder is wrong
3. Tell the truth
Thank you.