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CULTURAL RELATIVISM
INTRODUCTION
Culture is explained as the way of life of a group of people.
These ways can include arts, beliefs, and institutions passed
from one generation to another. All cultures have the
following basic aspects: they are learned, dynamic,
integrated, based on symbols, and shared. Cultures are
important in society as they give social and economic
benefits. Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a
particular group of people, encompassing language, religion,
cuisine, social habits, music and arts.
What is cultural relativism?
Cultural relativism is a concept that establishes that cultures are

essentially different from each other, and so are their moral structures
and relation frameworks. In other words, cultural relativism is
concerned with understanding a culture based on its standings and not
judging it with one's own culture. The idea behind cultural relativism is
to assist people in relating to different cultures that are not their own.
Cultural relativism is helpful because it leads to the appreciation of
other peoples' way of life around the world.
 Types of Cultural Relativism
 There are two types of cultural relativism.
• Absolute cultural relativism indicates that whatever activities are practiced within a
culture, no matter how weird and dangerous they appear to be, should not be
questioned by other cultures.
• Critical cultural relativism asks questions about cultural practices and why they are
practiced. It seeks answers about the cultural practices in line with who is accepting
them and why they are doing so.
• An example of absolute culture relativism is the tying of feet of Chinese women in
the 19th and 20th centuries. The practice appeared torturous to women for the
purpose of beauty. According to history, Chinese people found small feet in women
as a symbol of beauty. Therefore, for women to get married, they had to go through
the process of feet beautification. The process involved tying a young lady's feet to
inhibit its growth.
 An example of critical cultural relativism is when the residents of
Spain practice El Colacho, which is a baby-jumping ritual practiced
since 1620. It is said that jumping over the babies chases the devil
and keeps them safe. This practice has been critiqued by people
seeking answers as to its relevance in protecting the children.
Tenets of cultural relativism
1)Different Cultures have different moral codes

2)These codes determine what is right within a given society (if the code says its right
when the action is just within that society)
3)There is no object standard that can be used to judge one society’s code as better
than another’s. I.e. there is no universal truth in ethics that hold for all people at all
times.
4)The moral code of our own society has no special status; it is one code among
many.
5)It is arrogant to judge the conduct of other societies; we should adopt an attitude of
tolerance toward other cultures.
Cultural Relativism: Right or wrong?
 In “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism,” James Rachels examines the
influential theory of cultural relativism and questions its validity.
Rachels main claim is that the theory of cultural relativism has serious
shortcomings, although some of the premises it is based on are valid.
In other words, it is “not [as] plausible as it appears to be.”
 One of the main premises that cultural relativism stands on is the idea
that “different cultures have different moral codes.” Rachels proves
that this is true by using several examples of cultural practices that
differ substantially from our own, including marriage in Eskimo
communities. Eskimos believe that husbands can have multiple wives,
and that women are allowed to break the marriage arrangement at any
time and find a new partner
 Another premise of cultural relativism, which follows from the first, is that we cannot
objectively judge any one society’s moral code to be superior to the moral code of
another society. Rachels refers to this as the “Cultural Differences Argument” (58). He
claims that it is unreasonable to conclude that there is no ‘objective truth’ in morality
simply because people in different societies disagree on what is moral. It is entirely
possible that the parties in question are simply mistaken, however.
 The third and final consequence of accepting cultural relativism is that “moral progress”
is questionable (60). In other words, social reform could take place only in a very limited
capacity. The example Rachels gives is that women held a constricted role in Western
society for most of history, and only recently were liberated from that position. However,
cultural relativism would not allow us to consider this “progress” at all because we are
unable to judge whether any new way of doing things is better than the old way of doing
things
Lessons from cultural relativism
1. It is a system which promotes cooperation.

For the most part, humanity is strong because of the differences we all have. Every
individual has a different perspective that is based on their upbringing, experiences,
and personal thoughts. By embracing the many differences we have, the cooperation
creates the potential for a stronger society.
2. People can pursue a genuine interest.

In cultural relativism, you get to pursue your own interests without restriction. You
set the definitions of what you can have and what you cannot have. When
implemented successfully, each person would get to focus on their strengths instead
of their weaknesses.
3. We can create personal moral codes based on societal standards with ease.
To determine if a decision would be “right” or “wrong,” cultural relativism allows
individuals to consult with the standards of their society or culture.By consulting with
the moral code of the culture, one question must be asked: does the action conform
to the cultural moral code? If it does, then the action is permitted.
4. It stops cultural conditioning.

People tend to adapt their attitudes, thoughts, and beliefs to the people they are
with on a regular basis. This is cultural conditioning and it prevents people from
having an individualistic perspective. Cultural relativism stops this.

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CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Cultural relativism is a concept that establishes that cultures are

1)Different Cultures have different moral codes

1. It is a system which promotes cooperation.

2. People can pursue a genuine interest.

4. It stops cultural conditioning.

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