Lesson 7: Cultural Relativism

• Explain cultural relativism

• Cite the strengths and weaknesses of cultural relativism

INTRODUCTION

After studying the meaning of culture, how it is learned and how I shapes moral behavior, let us focus on cultural relativism, its meaning and its strengths and weaknesses.

ACTIVITY

1. Read this statement: "What is true for me is true for me, and what is true for you is true for you." Do you agree with this statement? Those who say NO, they don't agree, form one group. and those who say YES, they agree form another group.

2. YES group and NO group engage in a debate. Whoever is convinced should transfer to the group. Example, at first you are a YES but after listening to the NO group, you are convinced and so you join the No group.

ANALYSIS

Is there any danger posed by this thought: "what is true for me is true for me, and what is true for you is true for you'"?

What is cultural relativism?

First, relativism says "what is true for you is true for you, and what is true for me is true for me." Analogously, cultural relativism would say, "what you believe, value or practice depends on your culture while what I believe, value and practice, depends on my culture." In other words, cultural relativism is "the idea that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person's own culture, rather than be judged against the criteria of another. Stated in another way:

Cultural relativism is the view that moral or ethical systems, which vary from culture to culture, are all equally valid and no one system is really "better" than any other. This is based on the idea that there is no ultimate standard of good or evil, so every judgment about right and wrong is a product of society. Therefore, any opinion on morality or ethics is subject to the cultural perspective of each person. Ultimately, this means that no moral or ethical system can be considered the "best," or "worst," and no particular moral or ethical position can actually be considered "right" or "wrong." (https://www.allaboutphilosophy. org/cultural-relativism.htm)

In the context of cultural relativism, the manner by which the African woman is treated in comparison to that of the African man should not be judged against other culture's standards. This should be judged in the context of African culture, not in the context of Christian culture.

Cultural Relativism vs Cultural Perspective

However, what the cultural relativist fails to see is the difference between cultural perspective and cultural relativism. A perspective is a standpoint or viewpoint of something. For instance, there are as many perspectives of a building, a house, as there are standpoints. You try to appreciate the design of a house considering its various perspective, but you never judge the design based on only one perspective. Trying to understand one's culture, having a perspective of one's culture, is needed to understand people. But it does not follow that morality must be based only on said culture: the problem with moving from cultural perspective to cultural relativism is the erosion of reason that it causes. Rather than simply saying, "we need to understand the morals of other cultures, it says, we cannot judge the morals of other cultures," regardless of the reasons for their actions. There is no longer any perspective, and it becomes literally impossible to argue that anything a culture does is right or wrong. If we hold on to strict cultural relativism, it is no possible to say that human sacrifice is "wrong, " or that respect for the elderly is "right." After all, those are products of the culture. This takes any talk of morality right over the cliff, and into meaningless gibberish. (Mckinnon, et al., 2015)

Likewise, logical analysis of cultural relativism yields contradictory implications:

Relativism in general breaks down when examined from a purely logical perspective. The basic premise is that "truth is relative." If every truth statement is valid, then the statement "some truths are absolute" must be valid. The statement "there are no absolute truths" is accurate, according to relativism -- but it is an absolute truth itself. These contradict the very concept of relativism, meaning that absolute relativism is self-contradictory and impossible.

Stated in another way:

Tolerance is certainly a virtue... If morality is simply relative to each culture then if the culture does not have a principle of tolerance, its members have no obligation to be tolerant... from a relativistic point of view, there is no more reason to be tolerant than to be intolerant and neither stance is objectively morally better than the other

If... valid criticism supposes an objective or impartial standard, relativists cannot morally criticize anyone outside their own culture. Adolf Hitler 's genocidal actions, so long as they are culturally accepted, are as morally legitimate as Mother Teresa' works of mercy. f Conventional Relativism is accepted, racism genocide of unpopular minorities, oppression of the poor, slaver, and even the advocacy of war for its own sake are as equally, moral as their opposites. And if a subculture decided that starting a nuclear war was somehow morally acceptable, we could not morally criticize these people. (MacKinnon, et al., 2015)

1. Is cultural perspective the same as cultural relativism?

2. Illustrate with an example cultural perspective and cultural relativism.

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING

1. Explain cultural relativism.

2. How does cultural relativism differ from cultural perspective?

3. What is a strength of cultural relativism? What is a weakness of cultural relativism?

REFLECTION:

Do you agree with the concept of cultural relativism? Why or Why not?