This essay will be view the many aspects of beliefs, customs and ethics called cultural relativism. In other words, “right” and “wrong” are culture-specific; what is considered moral in one society may be considered immoral in another, and, since no universal standard of morality exists, no one has the right to judge another society’s customs. Cultural relativism is closely related to ethical relativism, which views truth as variable and not absolute. What constitutes right and wrong is determined solely by the individual or by society. Since truth is not objective, there can be no objective standard which applies to all cultures. No one can say if someone else is right or wrong; it is a matter of personal opinion, and no society can pass judgment on another society.
One unique religion is Judaism. Judaism is a religious tradition with origins dating back nearly four thousand years, rooted in the ancient near eastern region of Canaan (which is now Israel and Palestinian territories). Originating as the beliefs and practices of the people known as "Israel," classical, Judaism did not emerge until the 1st century C.E. Judaism traces its heritage to the covenant God made with Abraham and his ancestry — that God would make them a sacred people and give them a holy land. The primary figures of Israelite culture include the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophet Moses, who received God's law at Mt. Sinai. Judaism is a tradition grounded in the religious, ethical, and social laws as they are articulated in the Torah. Jews refer to the Bible as the Tanakh. The four main movements within Judaism today are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist, respectively ranging from traditional to liberal to religiously progressive in their application of Torah. While diverse in their views, Jews continue to be unified on the basis of their common connection to a set of sacred narratives expressing their relationship with God as a holy people. Judaism tends to emphasize practice over belief. Jewish worship is centered in synagogues, which completely replaced the Second Temple after its destruction in 70 C.E. Jewish religious leaders are called rabbis, oversee the many rituals and ceremonies essential to Jewish religious practice.
Christianity developed out of Judaism in the 1st century C.E. It is founded on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and those who follow him are called "Christians." Christianity has many different branches and forms with accompanying variety in beliefs and practices. The three major branches of Christianity are Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism, with numerous subcategories within each of these branches. Until the latter part of the 20th century, most adherents of Christianity were in the West, though it has spread to every continent and is now the largest religion in the world. Traditional Christian beliefs include the belief in the one and only true God, who is one being and exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the belief that Jesus is the divine and human Messiah sent to the save the world. Christianity is also noted for its emphasis on faith in Christ as the primary component of religion. The sacred text of Christianity is the Bible, including both the Hebrew scriptures (also known as the Old Testament) and the New Testament. Central to Christian practice is the gathering at churches for worship, fellowship, and study, and engagement with the world through evangelism and social action.
The historical origins of Islam date back to seventh century Arabia. Islam is based upon five "pillars" that represent the bedrock upon which all else is based. The first pillar, which makes one a Muslim, is called the shahadah, meaning, "testimony" or "witnessing." It is fulfilled by declaring to two witnesses the foundational creed of Islam: " Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah wa anna Muhammadan rasulullah. " This means, "I witness that there is
Carlise Richmond World View Assignment #2 American History March 10, 2015 Cultural Relativism and Morality Cultural relativism was coined by Franz Boas, a anthropological researcher, who was fascinated by other cultures and languages of indigenous cultures of the Baffin Isle Inuit. Franz said that a "...civilization is not something absolute, but ... is relative, and ... our ideas and conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goes…
this essay I will attempt to define various core thoughts and principles that work cohesively in understanding moral judgement. Cultural Relativism is an important philosophy to understand, as Ruth Benedict stated "Morality differs in every society, and is a convenient term for socially approved habits" (Rachels pg. 14). This statement is key in defining Cultural Relativism as this theory is based on the the observation that different cultures have different moral codes. It is already understood that…
Relativism Relativism pertains to what each individual culture defines as right or wrong. A great example was given that in some parts of the world capital punishment is wrong in France, but right in Saudi Arabia (Waller, 2008 pp. 24) Relativism is defined by the culture that you are in, at that present time. If you move or visit another country, you would need to pay close attention to their relativism views. The understanding of relativism is useful, because it reminds us of keeping an open mind…
thinking and doing) are good, right, and superior to those of others It creates in-group loyalties Leads to discrimination Cultural Relativism Understanding a culture on its own terms Look at how the elements of a culture fit together Not judging those elements as superior or inferior to our own way of life None of us can be completely successful at practicing cultural relativism Values, Norms, and Sanctions Values: ideas about what is desirable in life Standards for “good” and “bad” Underlies…
Prejudice is the opinions and attitudes of one person, or a group, against another person or group. Every single person has their own stories to tell, everyone has had certain things happen in life that change everything for them either in a good way or a bad way. It is unfair to judge someone without having walked in their shoes but yet it happens every day. You see people walk by homeless people and turn their noses up and just assume the homeless person is an alcoholic or a drug addict. I think…
Ethical Relativism What constitutes right and wrong behavior is a highly debated concept, which differs among diverse cultures, societies, traditions, and beliefs when determining specific rules about those actions. Ethical relativism is the theory that some moral standards are true, but their truth is relative to societies/cultures or each individual person and thus those standards will only apply within a culture or to an individual. The theory is subject to a number of objections, two of which…
PHI105 – Intro to Ethics Professor Millard Chapter 2 Cultural Relativism PART A: 1. A.) Page 16 Cultural Relativism challenges our belief in the objectivity and universality of moral truth. Cultural relativists have made all the following claims: 1. Different societies have different moral codes. 2. The moral code of a society determines what is right within that society; that is, if the moral code of a society says that a certain action is right, then that action is right…
Reflection Paper 1 In “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism,” James Rachels and Stuart Rachels offer the idea that three things follow from Cultural Relativism (20-22): 1. “We could no longer say that the customs of other societies are morally inferior to our own” (20). 2. “We could no longer criticize the code of our own society” (21). 3. “The idea of moral progress is called into doubt” (21). I will object only to the second idea that from Cultural Relativism “We could no longer criticize the code…
The Normative Cultural Relativism Theory (NCR) is based on the concept and idea that, “different cultures have different moral codes” (748). Simply, this theory implies that certain cultural customs cannot be judge on the basis of whether they’re “correct” or “incorrect”. This theory is founded upon 6 main arguments which are: (i) Different societies have different moral claims, (ii) there is no objective standard that can be used to judge another culture’s moral codes, (iii) our own moral code for…
Chapter 2 Subjectivism, Relativism, & Emotivism #1. Moral Objectivism...the doctrine that some moral norms or principles are valid for everyone-universal, in other words-regardless of how cultures may differ in their moral outlooks. #2. -Moral Absolutism...the objective principles with rigid rules that have no exceptions-must be applied in the exact same way in every situation and culture. -Yes; Objectivism does require absolutism #3. -Subjective Relativism... The view that an action is morally right…