Question

Focusing on the concept of cultural relativism, do we as Americans have the right to morally judge another culture? While noting the merits of cultural relativism, do you feel there are any limits to these merits? Are all cultural values and practices equally valid? Can you imagine any acts that a group of people can do to its own members that cross the line of human decency? If so, who gets to draw the line and what should the response be? Be sure to substantiate your answer with facts and examples.

Answer 1

Cultural Relativism, “is the practice of understanding a culture by its own standards” (77). This doesn’t mean we have to agree or bring another cultures practice within ours. What us Americans do is called ethnocentrism, where we judge other cultures on behalf of our beliefs.(77) Cultural relativism is just understanding, or getting an idea of the culture. As Americans we do not have the moral right to judge another culture. In my opinion it doesn’t matter whether we’re American, Africans, Central Americans, etc. nobody has the right to judge other people, their culture and belief system.Relativism forbids anyone from doing so. Relativism makes the presumption that moral judgments lead to action. These moral judgments, it is believed, lead to a denigration of another culture. (A case can be made that this presumption is, in itself, a judgment.) Yet, if a culture is bound to upholding the tenets of relativism, then it cannot morally judge another culture.