Cultural Relativism Or A Moral High Horse?
Is anything really moral.
“Distinct civilizations have different moral codes,” it seems, is the key to comprehending morality. They claim that the concept of universal truth in ethics is fiction. All that exists are the customs of many civilizations. These traditions cannot be described as “proper” or “incorrect,” since that presupposes that we have a separate standard of good and evil against which they may be measured”.
However, there is no such thing as an autonomous standard; all standards are culture-bound.
Cultural relativism cautions us, very correctly, of the risk of believing that all our choices are founded on an absolute rational norm. No, they aren’t. Many (but not all) of our customs are just unique to our culture, and it’s easy to forget that. The theory does us a favor by reminding us of it.
The “proper” method is the one that our forefathers utilized and that has been passed down to us. Tradition is a guarantee in and of itself. It is not subject to experience-based verification. The concept of right is rooted in folklore. It is not from outside of them, of unknown origin, and has been brought to put them to the test. Whatever is, according to folklore, is correct. This is due to the fact that they are traditional and therefore contain the authority of the ancestral spirits.
Our common conviction in the objectivity and universality of moral truth, dubbed Cultural Relativism, is brought into question. It effectively states that there is no such thing as universal truth in ethics; all that exists are different cultural norms. Furthermore, our own code has no particular standing; it is just one among several. As we’ll see, this fundamental concept is made up of many distinct ideas. It’s critical to separate the different components of the theory since, upon closer examination, certain portions seem to be right while others appear to be incorrect.
If cultural relativism is valid, then all theories and beliefs, including cultural relativism, should be considered cultural phenomena. Cultural relativism is, in reality, mainly a western idea, with its origins in the ivory tower subculture. Cultural relativism is a culture-bound idea; therefore, it would be incorrect to apply it across cultures on its own.
Indeed, some societies believe cultural relativism is legitimate, while others believe it is not. According to cultural relativism, both points of view must be considered equally legitimate. Nonetheless, these are diametrically opposed theories: one asserts A, while the other does not.
A conclusion and its negation cannot be correct at the same time since they are mutually incompatible logically.
Cultural relativism, on the other hand, requires a logical contradiction in its very definition. Still, cultural relativism goes a step further by ethically sanctioning the aggressors. It does this by endorsing their behavior.
If all ways of life are equally legitimate since there are different cultural concepts and practices and no method to judge them, then their validity is derived from the fact that they are cultural practices.
To put it another way, a concept or behavior is legitimate just because it exists in some societies.
I believe Cultural Relativism is correct in certain ways, and I’d want to explain why. Even if we reject the idea, there are two things we should take away from it. Cultural relativism correctly cautions us against thinking that all of our tastes are based on an absolute logical norm. No, they aren’t.
Many (but not all) of our customs are just unique to our culture, and it’s easy to forget that. The theory does us a favor by reminding us of it.
The second lesson emphasizes the importance of maintaining an open mind. Each of us has developed strong emotions as we’ve grown up: we’ve learned to tolerate certain kinds of behavior and reject others. Those emotions may be tested from time to time. Someone may try to convince us that our emotions are incorrect.
Even though Cultural Relativism has severe flaws, we may see why it appeals to many. It’s an appealing idea since it’s founded on the realization that many of the behaviors and attitudes, we take for granted are really cultural artifacts.
Furthermore, if we wish to avoid hubris and have open minds, we must keep this understanding in mind. These are critical considerations that should not be overlooked. However, we may accept these things without accepting the whole idea.
