It is well known that some individuals have ethical rules and may view it as a product of their culture. Today, there are many ethical rules among many different cultures. Each group of people follow their own set of ethical rules among their own culture that might be passed on, or been taught from their parents. Such as, one would follow an ethical rule that's been engraved into the culture, and others would create an ethical rule to become a product of their culture. Through some areas of knowledge, such as Ethics and the Human Sciences, it will show that ethical rules can be a product of our culture to a certain extent. At the same time, it discusses through some ways of knowing, such as intuition and reasoning with reference to reasoning …show more content…
Many people use a huge amount of faith in their religion as part of their ethical rules to follow within their lives. It may be way for an individual to put full beliefs or trust towards a certain religion without any need of proof. My classmates and I in my International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge class began an interesting faith discussion about some people that may believe that it is a requirement to follow their religious guidelines as if it is their own way of truth. That they are going on the right path of following the religious ethical rules. For example, people who follow the same religion in a mixture of middle eastern and American culture may believe that God is rewarding them towards every good deed that's been done. If an individual is continuing on a certain mindset based on a religious ethical belief then it would be engraved as a product of the culture. In light of the fact that an individual believes it is the right way to follow by the advice given from their place of worship. There is a possibility that religious guidelines would be followed as an ethical rule that would be a product of a …show more content…
There are people in many societies that follow what the majority of the people within a certain society view or based their belief on reasoning. It is a fact for that certain individual to believe that if the majority of the people agree on one certain aspect then they is more likely to be right. For example, the majority view does not have to be based on agreeing on a certain law, but something simple and that might happen to the individual daily. This is holding the door for the purpose of someone. Today, there are places in society that don’t often hold doors for people as much other societies. In my International Baccalaureate Psychology class talked about how people follow social norms and how sometimes social norms may be known as the unwritten rules. It is when a majority of a group of people agrees on a certain action within their society without speaking of it. Such as talking to people in bathroom stalls would this be going against social norms because the Majority Views finds it unethical? This may show that it is based on the majority view of the people believing it was the ethical action to do as an individual. It is that every individual will slowly follow the majority view because it will be eventually outnumbered by the group of people believing the opposite of a certain concept. Also, as the individual adapts within
Unlike, the Practitioner’s Guide to Ethical Decision Making, the Intercultural Model of Ethical Decision Making, is modern and takes the more subjective approach advocated for by modern theorists. It promotes a rather holistic than rational approach. Instead of focusing solely on facts, the Intercultural Model of Ethical Decision Making incorporates the culture, religion and different beliefs in the analysis and resolution of the ethical problem.
We as humans have an inborn sense of moral direction much like animals do. But it is this moral instinct that creates a symbiotic environment. From this one could construct additional rules that simply facilitate the world or are simply observations of the world without such rules being expressed. Or rather we have an inherent desire to live and thrive among one another but ethics as we know it are constructs of society when it was developed.
Culture has a huge impact on our environment. Humans learn to be ethical through culture and family. For example, the racism culture has been brought up through many generations. If our parents or grandparents have a certain belief towards different kinds of people and you are accustomed to that
To answer the question of whether all ethics is related to one’s culture or own beliefs, we have to first define what ethical relativism is. Ethical relativism is a theory that states that morality is relative to a person’s cultural norms. With ethical relativism there is not a set truth in ethics, what is considered right or wrong varies from person to person or culture to culture. With that being said it may seem very clear that all ethics are related to one’s own customs, right? Well let me explain. When we were born, we were not born with ethics, we learn them
Today, you can observe someone and see how much of their cultural background influences them when deciding or they are acting on morals. Culture is made up of many aspects such as knowledge, beliefs, morals, law and habit. Culture is not an innate ability rather, it’s something people learned. In “Being Weird: How Culture Shapes the Mind” Ethan Watters explores a work of an anthropologist Joe Henrich, who uses a game called “ultimatum game” with small communities to tell whether they have the same universal human behavior. The way people learn their culture is through observing. Culture defines people’s world, it is how they should act, guide their behavior and perceptions throughout their lives.
Social norms are the implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviors, values, and beliefs of its members. Implicit social norms are introduced to us at a very early age, and exert a powerful influence on our behavior into adulthood. Our culture is ruled by social norms. In many situations, people 's perception of these norms have a big influence on their behavior. Implicit social norms are not openly stated, but found out when disobeyed. Implicit rules are rules we conform to as a society, and generally these rules make living together more comfortable. Social norms are important because they define the nature of a group, clarify relationships among members, and express values. They are also important because they create cohesion within the society, and members of that society are very aware when such norms are violated. Social norms are often strictly enforced and offenders are often disliked for their conduct. Also, some norms are more strictly held to in certain situations than in
Social norms refer to the way that members of a society are expected to act and behave. These norms provide structure and conformity for individuals within a society. They also provide a sense of “normalcy” amongst individuals within a society. In a society, “we tend to follow our own cultural norms without questioning them, because we regard them as the ‘norm’.” (Henslin,2012). To intentionally break a cultural norm, takes some thought and effort to consciously go against our inbred “culture within us.” When pondering about social norms that I could break and the reactions of others, I began brainstorming various social norms. One in particular norm came to mind. In American society there is a social norm that if you use the drive thru window
Cultural Relativism and the Divine Command Theory both had a tough time explaining why culture and God had the rights to state what is considered moral behavior. Especially when you lay your trust on God to guide you on what is moral or not, you face dangerous risks because there is a possibility that God is just a make-believe person up in the sky. Hence, humans who follow God’s words can misinterpret his meanings and cause immoral behavior in society. On the other hand, Ethical Relativism appeals to an authority that is present on this in this world, society and cultures. Nevertheless, society and cultures should not be relied on to indicate moral and immoral behavior because it is questionable to believe that our actions become moral just for the reason that our culture or society accepts them as normal. Despite the differences between The Divine Command Theory and Cultural Relativism, they both are theories that just fall short of their
Every individual is taught what is right and what is wrong from a young age. It becomes innate of people to know how to react in situations of killings, injuries, sicknesses, and more. Humans have naturally developed a sense of morality, the “beliefs about right and wrong actions and good and bad persons or character,” (Vaughn 123). There are general issues such as genocide, which is deemed immoral by all; however, there are other issues as simple as etiquette, which are seen as right by one culture, but wrong and offense by another. Thus, morals and ethics can vary among regions and cultures known as cultural relativism.
“Different cultures have different moral codes”, James Rachels discusses in his article Why Morality Is Not Relative? (Rachels, p. 160). A moral code is a set of rules that is considered to be the right behavior that may be accepted by a group of individuals within a society. Each culture tends to have their own individual standards and moral codes. Moral codes are guidelines laid out by a cultures ancestors. Standards are guidelines set forth by the individual themselves. Standards and morals don’t always have to be the same, but there are instances where they are. The moral codes claim what is “right” and what is “wrong”. Moral codes outline what behaviors individuals are supposed to make. These codes are basically laws, but specifically
In explaining Cultural Relativism, it is useful to compare and contrast it with Ethical Relativism. Cultural Relativism is a theory about morality focused on the concept that matters of custom and ethics are not universal in nature but rather are culture specific. Each culture evolves its own unique moral code, separate and apart from any other. Ethical Relativism is also a theory of morality with a view of ethics similarly engaged in understanding how morality comes to be culturally defined. However, the formulation is quite different in that from a wide range of human habits, individual opinions drive the culture toward distinguishing normal “good” habits from abnormal “bad” habits.
In this paper I will argue that cultural relativism is a weak argument. Cultural relativism is the theory that all ethical and moral claims are relative to culture and custom (Rachels, 56). Pertaining to that definition, I will present the idea that cultural relativism is flawed in the sense that it states that there is no universal standard of moral and ethical values. First, I will suggest that cultural relativism underestimates similarities between cultures. Second, I will use the overestimating differences perspective to explain the importance of understanding context, intention and purpose behind an act. Finally, referring to James Rachels’ “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism” I will solidify my argument further using his theory that
Moral practices are different in many cultures. There are cultural practices that you would expect to be immoral all over the world, but it is not. For example, I do not understand how anyone would feel it is normal to eat love ones who have died. In some cultures, this is normal behavior. It is normal for others to burn the dead. In my culture, we bury the dead. Because I feel it is inhuman for someone to eat their loves after they have died does not give me the right to tell them they are wrong and I am right. This is the means behind ethical relativism. T...
Reasoning is a way of knowing; it is the process of forming ideas based on previous knowledge. It is rational, and therefore by reasoning, events appear to be logical and consistent. Whether reasoning can expose truth is determined...
Ethics is a system of moral principles and a branch of philosophy which defines what is acceptable for both individuals and society. It is a philosophy that covers a whole range of things that have an importance in everyday situations. Ethics are vital in everyones lives, it includes human values, and how to have a good life, our rights and responsibilities, moral decisions what is right and wrong, good and bad. Moral principles affect how people make decisions and lead their lives (BBC, 2013). There are many different beliefs about were ethics come from. These consist of; God and Religion, human conscience, the example of good human beings and a huge desire for the best for people in each unique situation, and political power (BBC, 2013).