Ethical Relativism

Throughout the world, there are various cultures. Each of these cultures has their own interpretation of moral practices. In other words, what may be considered morally acceptable in some cultures may be believed to be morally unacceptable in others. Some of these moralities may be racism, sexism, polygamy, torture, and so on. These differentiations may lead us to question which moral claims are true and which moral claims are false. These differences in these various cultures help to raise a significant topic in ethics, that being ethical relativism. Ethical relativism is the claim that certain ethical rules are acceptable in certain cultural norms and social situations. This helps to determine which moral standards are true and which are false. Moral standards are cultural or personal values, codes of conduct, or social norm; it is the guideline for making moral decisions. A moral standard may be socially acceptable just because society is dedicated to that standard. This is saying that the standards that are suitable for some people and societies may not be suitable for others. According to Russ Shafer-Landau in The Fundamentals of

Cultural relativism states that moral standards, that are correct, correspond to cultures or societies. It is said “an act is morally acceptable just because it is allowed by the guiding ideals of the society” (Landau, p. 293). In a simpler way to put it, a person’s beliefs and activities should be understood by others in relation to that people’s own culture. There can be no unbiased standard to apply to all cultures, no one can say if someone is right or wrong. For example, it is socially acceptable for y younger teenagers to drink in other countries, but in America it is considered a major crime if you are underage and caught with alcohol. So, all cultures are admirable in their own right and are equal in