This fundamental concept in the area of sociology was established by the German American anthropologist Franz Boas at the beginning of the 20th century. Diversity is one of the most discussed issues in the modern world. Cultural relativism is an attitude and focuses on the importance of the local understanding of the meaning of particular beliefs and activities. To avoid judging the cultural practices of groups that are different to yours, we can use the cultural relativism approach. Cultural perspective can help us understand why certain actions are considered right or wrong by a particular culture. Cultural relativism refers to not judging a culture to our own standards of what is right or wrong, strange or normal. This is the practice of which may also often lead to the creation of negative attitudes towards the culture that is being viewed as what is right in our own culture may not necessarily be right in other cultures. Instead, we should try to understand cultural practices of other groups in its own cultural context. Though cultural relativism initially appears to be a logical conclusion for the diametrically opposed cultures of various countries existing on earth, it does not consider the possibility of quantifying specific aspects of society, culture, and an individual’s life to create an objective comparison between cultures. Understanding cultural relativism enables one to escape the unconscious bond of their culture which biases their perceptions and reaction to the world. This would mean it is just as fair to punish or reward people for their actions as it is the color of their hair or face. Cultural relativism is a tool for unbiased critique; a reflection of our known ways. This is where the conflict is found, where one wants the rules to be specific to one culture and the other wants the same rules to be followed by all, Moral relativism is a broader, more personally applied form of other types of relativistic thinking, such as cultural relativism. Significance of cultural, social,, and economic symbols and practices . In other words, “right” and “wrong” are culture-specific “Different cultures have different moral codes” often is used as a key to understanding morality. Copyright © 2020 IPL.org All rights reserved. He argues from queerness and relatively and thinks it is an error theory. Cultural relativism is seen by its proponents as a benign, even obligatory, influence on anthropological theory and practice; by its critics it is seen as pernicious. It helps us to re-examine and correct our assumptions and bias on cultures and people of the world. Cultural Relativism strives to reduce the bias', judgements and critiques of other countries that may be different than what a particular individual is use too (JFB-Levage, n.d.). What is cultural relativism? This is best achieved by living with people of other cultures and getting accustomed within the new culture in good time. jordansahibbil319 jordansahibbil319 18 hours ago Health Senior High School +5 pts. Explaining this argument, there is no logic of giving rights to a creature or person which cannot grasp or having need to use those rights and giving rights to that living is pointless. Cultural moral relativism contains two theses: 1) the diversity thesis—moral beliefs, practices, and values are diverse or vary from one culture to another; and 2) the dependency thesis—moral obligations depends upon cultures, since they are the final arbiters of moral truth. is the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within his own social context. Log in. Cultural relativism was born from the idea that the world lacks an ultimate standard … Cultural relativism refers to the idea that people’s values, knowledge and behaviour must be understood within their own cultural context. Rights are ethical principles and moral values we have in our lives. Cultural relativism basically states that every culture is equal to any other culture and all cultures are legitimate expressions of the human spirit. The whole concept involves interpreting beliefs and activities from within the terms of the governing culture. This means that while the norms may vary from culture to culture, everyone is right or equal simply because there is no single system which is fit enough to be used as a yardstick. (Part 1). If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked. It is because anybody else who disagrees with the moral truths of any given culture is automatically wrong. In this paper cultural relativism will be described critically, that is, its claims and premisses will be subjected to close philosophical scrutiny. Discuss briefly the importance of cultural relativism in attaining cultural understanding - 5046803 1. Taking one step too far, as cultural relativism does, is simply a disaster. Considering these facts one can say that cultural relativism has been well established in relation to traditional ethical theories, the corruption process is accepted based on the fact that one society has the possibility to pay its officers better and the other does not have the possibility to do, so is obliged to accept the corruption that is being made. Using the perspective of cultural relativism leads to the view that no one culture is superior than another culture when compared to systems of morality, law, politics, etc. It is however, essential to consider that the object of study is the individual and each ethnological specimen should be individually identified. Cultural Relativism And Its Impact On Society Essay 953 Words | 4 Pages. It also helps one to make sense of a different culture. Join now. Through cultural Relativism, an individual is able to understand a culture through its own terms without making conclusions using the standards of the culture. Cultural relativism is silent about how large a group must be in order to be a culture, and which culture we should follow when we belong to two cultures with conflicting moralities. He then goes on to expand on the consequences of the Basic Argument. 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