Cultural Relativism Essay - 1398 Words

Cultural relativism, pioneered in 1906 by sociologist William Graham Sumner, introduces the idea that there is no universal code of ethics. In The Challenge of Cultural Relativism, written by James Rachels, Rachels explains and challenges the ideas presented by Sumner in cultural relativism. Rachels explains, Cultural relativism is the doctrine that all moral values derive entirely from individual cultural codes, and that there are no objective, independently correct moral values. In other words, there are no absolute truths about what is right and wrong because judgements of right and wrong are all relative to a given culture. Rachels starts by explaining how different cultures have different moral codes. For example, the Greeks†¦show more content†¦The arguments are as follows: Different societies have different moral codes. 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, that that action is right, at least within that society. There is no objective standard that can be used to judge one society s codes better than another s. In other words, there is no universal truth in ethics; there are no moral truths that hold for all people at all times. The moral code of our own society has no special status; it is merely one among many. 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. Rachels points out that these ideals may seem to be adequate at first glance, but may actually be contradictory of each other. Numbers two and five, for example, could contradict the other (Rachels 463). He also begins to talk about the form of argument that cultural relativists present. All arguments they present deal with appealing to our morality and tolerance, and the presentation of the argument does not actually follow the conclusion of the argument. He also points out that the conclusion may not necessarily be false, but it simply does not follow the premise presented initially. Overall, Rachels main problem with cultural relativism is that it does not have validShow MoreRelatedCultural Relativism Essay1702 Words   |  7 Pagessociety, cultural relativism is an acceptable theory to adhere to. A society is a collective group of people who are either figuratively or literally aggregated together. There are many societies, sub-societies, and communities that are overlapping. At the same time, every living individual in the world makes up an umbrella society or community that constructs the present-day society. In â€Å"The Challenge of Cultural Relativism,† James Rachels claims that there are consequences to accepting cultural relativismRead MoreMeta-Ethical Cultural Relativism Essay737 Words   |  3 PagesMeta-Ethical Cultural Relativism The thesis of meta-ethical cultural relativism is the philosophical viewpoint that there are no absolute moral truths, only truths relative to the cultural context in which they exist. From this it is therefore presumed that what one society considers to be morally right, another society may consider to be morally wrong, therefore, moral rights and wrongs are only relative to a particular society. Thus cultural relativism implies that what is good is whatRead MoreEssay on Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism667 Words   |  3 Pagescontrast ETHNOCENTRISM and CULTURAL RELATIVISM. Discuss how you have experienced OR witnessed both concepts in our American Society. 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Further, the paper discusses how cultural relativism is used to justify bribes in Mexico and whether this is ethical or not. Each country may view bribery under different societal conditions and circumstances. In most cases, nations with different cultural backgrounds will posses