Cultural Differences: An Example Of Cultural Relativism?

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Cultural Relativism
Cultural Relativism is the theory that ethical and moral standards are based on what a particular society deems to be good or bad. Since different societies have different beliefs, cultural relativists believe there are many moral codes in the world. Cultural relativists believe there is no universal moral code, which is an independent standard that defines what is right or wrong all of the time, regardless of place.
There are many different examples of Cultural Relativism in society. One instance was the practice of infanticide in Eskimo communities during the early to mid-20th century. “Knud Rasmussen, an early explorer, reported meeting one woman who had borne 20 children, but had killed 10 of them at birth" (Rachels …show more content…

James Rachels & Stuart Rachels (2012) introduced the “Cultural Differences Argument” as an argument for Cultural Relativism. This argument is based on two premises. The first is that different cultures have different moral codes. The second premise follows that if you believe the first, then there is no universally correct moral code, only matters of opinion that vary by culture. Cultural relativists argue that “the moral code of our own society has no special status; it is but one among many” (Rachels & Rachels, 2012). They also believe “it is arrogant for us to judge other cultures” (Rachels & Rachels, 2012) because they are doing what is right in the eyes of their society. William Graham Sumner (1840-1910), a sociologist, argued that traditions lead us to the “right” way of doing things. “The ‘right’ way is the way which the ancestors used and which has been handed down. The tradition is its own warrant. It is not held subject to verification by experience. The notion of right is in the folkways” (Sumner, 1960). Sunmer is explaining that since morality comes from folkways (traditions) relative to the culture from where they occur, morality is relative to culture.
Opponents of Cultural Relativism argue that if Cultural Relativism is true, a society loses its abilities to intervene in external activities. “We could no longer say the customs of other societies are morally inferior to our own” (Rachels & Rachels, 2012). For example, the United States could not criticize or intervene against the Chinese government for its policial oppression policies; nor could it say that a society that embraces free speech is better than the oppresive Chinese society. Doing so would violate the premise that the moral code of a society has no special

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