Ethics: Module 6- Cultural Relativism

Cultural Relativism

Morality is created collectively by cultures or groups. What a culture accepts as morally right is right for that culture. Strict cultural relativism rejects universal moral truths

Ethical Subjectivism

Morality is relative to the individual rather than the culture. Moral right and wrong depend on a person's own beliefs or feelings

Cultural Relativism vs Ethical Subjectivism

Cultural relativism makes morality relative to cultures or groups. Ethical subjectivism makes morality relative to individual people

Sociological Relativism

The observation that moral norms and customs vary between cultures. It describes differences without claiming that either culture is morally right

Cultural Relativism vs Sociological Relativism

Sociological relativism says cultures have different moral beliefs. Cultural relativism says a culture's accepted moral beliefs are morally right for that culture

Excusing

An action may still be wrong while a person's blame or responsibility is reduced because of lack of knowledge or lack of control

Cultural Relativism vs Excusing

Cultural relativism says the action is morally right for the culture. Excusing can still call the action wrong while reducing the person's responsibility

Respect for Cultural Diversity

Tolerating and respecting morally neutral cultural customs without claiming that every cultural practice is morally right

Morally Neutral Custom

A cultural behavior such as a greeting or clothing practice that can differ without being morally right or wrong

Cultural Relativism vs Respect for Cultural Diversity

Respect for diversity tolerates morally neutral differences. Cultural relativism says culturally accepted moral rules are actually right for that culture

Universal Moral Principles

Moral standards believed to apply to people regardless of the culture or society in which they live

Universalism

The position that at least some moral principles are objectively valid across cultures rather than being created entirely by societies

Universal Human Rights

Rights believed to belong to people because they are human rather than because a particular culture grants those rights

Cultural Relativism vs Universalism

Cultural relativism makes morality dependent on culture. Universalism holds that some moral standards apply across cultural boundaries

Social Darwinism

The application of survival and fitness ideas to societies. Successful or flourishing societies are viewed as more fit but success does not prove moral superiority

Fitness in Social Darwinism

Fitness means being well adapted to an environment rather than simply being stronger or more powerful

Social Darwinism vs Cultural Relativism

Social Darwinism compares societies by survival adaptation or success. Cultural relativism says cultures create their own moral standards

Success Does Not Equal Morality

A society becoming powerful advanced or successful does not prove that its actions or moral values are ethically correct

Human and Fish Example

A fish may be more fit than a stronger human in the ocean because fitness means adaptation to an environment rather than physical strength

Nazi Germany Social Darwinism Example

Nazi Germany gaining territory or power would not prove that its actions were morally right. Success and moral correctness are different

Moral Community

The group of beings regarded as persons who deserve moral consideration and respect

Person in the Moral Community

A being with inherent moral value that deserves respect independent of usefulness productivity or social contribution

Inherent Moral Value

A person's moral worth does not depend on usefulness productivity status or contribution to society

Coma Patient Example

A person in a coma remains part of the moral community because human worth does not depend on current usefulness or productivity

Prisoner Example

A criminal remains a person within the moral community and retains basic rights even though punishment for wrongdoing may be justified

Mandala of the Moral Community

A visual model showing moral status within a culture. Beings nearer the center receive greater moral respect while beings toward the outer edge receive less

Center of the Mandala

Represents beings given the greatest status respect or moral importance within a culture's moral community

Outer Edge of the Mandala

Represents beings given less moral status and treated as morally inferior to beings closer to the center

Three Fifths Example

The historical treatment of enslaved African Americans as three fifths of a person illustrates how societies can deny groups full moral status

Pluralistic Society

A society containing many different cultural religious or social groups whose moral beliefs may conflict

Criticism 1 Disagreement Does Not Eliminate Truth

Different cultures disagreeing about morality does not logically prove that no objective moral truth exists

Closed Hand Example

Many people can guess different things about what is inside a closed hand while one correct answer still exists. Disagreement does not eliminate truth

Criticism 2 Problem in Pluralistic Societies

Cultural relativism becomes difficult to apply when many cultures share one society and their moral rules conflict

Bronx Example

A highly diverse community illustrates the difficulty of applying separate cultural moral systems when many groups must live under shared rules

Criticism 3 Confuses Custom and Morality

Cultural relativism can treat socially accepted customs as if they automatically have moral importance even when the behavior is morally neutral

Custom vs Morality

A custom is a culturally accepted practice. Morality concerns what is ethically right or wrong. A tradition is not automatically a moral principle

Criticism 4 Group Pressure Can Distort Moral Reasoning

Group agreement may result from conformity pressure or a dominant personality rather than from better moral reasoning

Conformity Problem

A person may accept the group's moral answer because of social pressure rather than because they independently believe it is morally correct

Criticism 5 Objective Reasoning

People can try to determine whether an action is actually right or wrong instead of simply following what their culture approves

Social Comparison in Moral Reasoning

Judging morality mainly by comparing yourself with a group can make reasoning more subjective instead of more objective

Criticism 6 Cultures Share Moral Rules

Many cultures share basic rules involving theft killing respect property and harm. This suggests cultures may not be as morally different as strict relativism implies

Transcultural Moral Value

A moral value or rule found across different cultures. It provides evidence that some moral similarities cross cultural boundaries

Criticism 7 Us Versus Them

Cultural relativism can divide people into separate moral groups where our rules apply to us and their rules apply to them

Global We Mentality

An outlook emphasizing shared human values and moral connections across cultural boundaries rather than an us versus them division

Professor Test Warning Students Commonly Miss

The professor warned that many students miss questions asking them to identify a criticism of cultural relativism. Understand each criticism rather than memorizing wording

How to Study the Seven Criticisms

Recognize each criticism in a new scenario because the professor tests application rather than only memorized definitions

Afghan Shiite Law Example

The lecture uses culturally created marriage rules to ask whether a cultural rule automatically becomes a moral rule. Cultural relativism says yes within that culture

Afghan Example Cultural Relativism

Their culture created the marriage rules so cultural relativism considers those rules morally right for that culture

Afghan Example Sociological Relativism

Their marriage rules are different from those in the United States. This describes cultural difference without making a moral judgment

Afghan Example Excusing

They may not understand that their behavior is wrong so responsibility may be reduced even if the behavior itself remains wrong

Rainforest Example

People who unknowingly damage rainforests may be excused because they lack knowledge of the harm. This is excusing rather than cultural relativism

Middle Finger and Greeting Examples

Different gestures and forms of etiquette illustrate morally neutral customs that can be respected without accepting cultural relativism

Michael Jackson Example

The professor compares relativist morality to opinions about whether Michael Jackson is a great artist. Relativists see moral judgments as lacking one universal answer

Ruth Benedict

Anthropologist associated with cultural relativism. In this course she is linked to culturally created moral standards and rejection of universal moral principles

Ruth Benedict and Universal Morality

Benedict is presented as rejecting universal moral principles because moral standards are created within cultures

Ruth Benedict vs Social Darwinism

Benedict rejected the idea that evolutionary or technological development proves that so called primitive cultures are morally inferior

Clyde Kluckhohn

Anthropologist used in the course to support the idea that some moral values are transcultural and that cultures share important moral rules

Kluckhohn Transcultural Example

A prohibition against indiscriminate lying is presented as a moral value found across cultures

Herbert Spencer

Thinker strongly associated with Social Darwinism and the idea that societies develop through adaptation and adjustment to their environments

Herbert Spencer and Social Darwinism

Spencer applied evolutionary ideas to social development and is important when discussing fitness progress and cultural superiority

Eagle Man Ed McGaa

Native American writer associated with respect for Mother Earth interconnectedness generosity sharing and moral relationships among living things

Eagle Man Quote

The idea that Mother Earth is holy and that people should share and be generous reflects Eagle Man's emphasis on interconnectedness and nature

Ibn Khaldun

Historical thinker used in the course when comparing cultures and discussing whether cultures can be morally evaluated

Eagle Man and Ibn Khaldun

They are connected in this course to the idea that some cultures can be judged as more moral than others rather than assuming all cultural morality is equally correct

Adolf Eichmann

Nazi official whose defense is used to show the danger of treating the laws or accepted rules of one's society as proof that actions are morally right

Eichmann Defense

Eichmann argued in the course example that he had done nothing wrong because he had not violated the laws of his country

Eichmann and Cultural Relativism

His example illustrates the problem with assuming that following society's laws or norms automatically makes an action morally acceptable

The Holocaust and Cultural Relativism

The Nazi Holocaust contributed to disillusionment with strict cultural relativism because it showed the need to condemn some acts even when a society permits them

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. In this course it represents international cooperation and commonly shared ideas of humanity

UNESCO and Ethics

UNESCO represents the idea that different cultures can recognize shared human values rather than treating every culture as morally isolated

United Nations

International organization associated in this module with cooperation across cultures and the development of shared human rights principles

UNESCO and the United Nations

UNESCO is part of the United Nations system and supports cooperation based on shared human concerns and values

Common Ideas of Humanity

Values or principles shared across cultural boundaries that provide common moral ground between different groups

Law vs Morality

A law being accepted or enforced by a society does not by itself prove that the law is morally correct

Laptop Cultural Relativism Example

A cultural relativist would avoid stealing because the culture's moral rules condemn theft rather than merely because of fear of getting caught

Fear of Getting Caught

Avoiding wrongdoing only because of possible punishment is not cultural relativism because the motivation is fear rather than culturally created morality

Personal Choice and Morality

Saying morality is a private individual choice reflects ethical subjectivism rather than cultural relativism

Appeal to Force Fallacy

The error of claiming that a position is correct because force threats or the ability to harm someone can be used against opponents

Abusive Fallacy

The error of attacking a person's character identity or group instead of giving a valid argument against the person's position

Course Goal Learn Ethical Theories

One major course goal is to understand important ethical theories and the reasoning behind them

Course Goal Apply Ethical Theories

The second major course goal is to use ethical theories to analyze arguments examples and real moral situations rather than merely memorizing definitions

Cultural Relativism Scenario Clue

Look for reasoning that says a behavior is morally right because the culture or group accepts or created that moral rule

Sociological Relativism Scenario Clue

Look for a statement that simply notes that cultures have different practices beliefs or moral norms without deciding which is morally right

Excusing Scenario Clue

Look for reduced blame because someone lacked knowledge understanding freedom or control while the action itself may remain wrong

Social Darwinism Scenario Clue

Look for claims that a society is morally superior because it is more advanced powerful successful technologically developed or well adapted

Moral Community Scenario Clue

Look for questions about who counts as a person deserving moral consideration rights or respect

Pluralistic Society Scenario Clue

Look for many cultural groups living together with conflicting moral rules and difficulty deciding which rules should govern everyone

Custom vs Morality Scenario Clue

Look for a culturally specific tradition or etiquette rule being treated as if it automatically determines moral right and wrong

Us Versus Them Scenario Clue

Look for cultures becoming morally separated into our group and their group with no shared moral standards connecting them