Cultural relativism and ethical relativism
What is cultural relativism? What is ethical relativism? What, if any, is the relationship between the two?
Do people outside of a culture have the right to criticize that culture’s values or beliefs? Why or why not?
Think of a strong example of a cultural practice. For example, say another culture practices child marriages. What would a cultural relativist say about this? What would an ethical relativist say about it? Support your answer.
Cultural relativism is the belief that different cultures have their own values, beliefs and norms which should be respected. This means that no one culture can be judged or compared to another, as each one has its own unique set of values and customs.
Ethical relativism is related to cultural relativism in that it suggests morality is relative and subjective, varying from person to person or culture to culture. This means that what may be considered morally acceptable in one society may not necessarily be seen as such in another.
These two concepts are closely intertwined since they both emphasize our need to understand and respect the diversity of thought within different societies without imposing our own judgments or values on them. At the same time, however, we must remember that ethical relativism does not mean there is no universal standard for morality but rather a recognition of how moral ideals can vary from place to place depending on an individual’s context and experiences.