ETHICAL EGOISM VS CULTURAL RELATIVISM As rational creatures, everything that we do is reasoned out.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, everything that we do is for a purpose, and is somehow justified by our minds. We do not simply do things out of instincts, or merely of habits, but out of a conscious decision of what is right and what is wrong. Then the logical question becomes, how do we decide these things? What is the bench mark that our actions must measure up to? For this reflection paper, I will compare and contrast Ethical Egoism to Cultural Relativism. Of these two, I believe that cultural relativism is the one that is becoming most widely accepted. However I also believe that at one point or time in ones life they worked within the Ethical Egoism rationale. Cultural relativism is the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within his own social context. In other words, right and wrong are culturespecific; 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 societys customs. In the reading of the book Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics it states cultural relativism says that it is not each person, but each persons culture, that is the standard by which actions are to be measured. To put it simplistically, no ethical system is better than any other. As a military brat I have travelled the world and been exposed to several different cultures and seen firsthand where something that is accepted in one culture maybe taboo in another. To give an example of this would be that in the German towns I lived in it was totally accepted and expected to drink alcohol during ones work day lunch break whereas here in America that would be frowned upon. So, whose culture is right? Consider this text taken from a relativism website: Cultural relativism is the position that all points of view are equally valid and that all truth is relative to the individual and his

or her environment. All ethical, religious, political and aesthetic beliefs are truths that are relative to the cultural identity of the individual. Relativism can include moral relativism (ethics are relative to the social construct), situational relativism (right and wrong depend on the particular situation), and cognitive relativism (truth is relative and has no objective standard). Relativism still requires that the agent do what is right, however, this right is subjective, and therefore is open for all discussion and legitimacy. From a moral standpoint Cultural Relativism is rather weak because once again exactly what is right and for who? 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. Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics says, 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. Every culture has to have some structure and order or it cannot sustain itself. Included in this social structure will be ethical standards. Although ethical standards differ from one place to the next, to preserve social order, people are obligated to follow the norms of the culture in which they live. In comparison Ethical Egoism theory believes the only desirable motivation should be self interest. In his entry in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Egoism: The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, James Fieser, Ph.D., general editor- Bradley Dowden, Ph.D., assistant general editor, http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/), Dr. Alex Mosley say:

Ethical egoism is the theory that the promotion of one's own good is in accordance with morality. In the strong version it is held that it is always moral to promote one's own good and it is never moral not to promote it. This theory basically implies that people should and are generally selfish. As I stated previously I think this concept has applied to all at one time or another. One of my favorite t-shirts in the past read Its All About Me and at that time I truly believed that. However, as I matured I realized that ultimately that if everyone took this same philosophy, I could be jeopardized in some manner because what they desired could end up interfering with my interest. To add to that, if I actually looked out for the benefits of others it essentially benefits me and if not it still benefits society as a whole. Even though, there are some arguments for Ethical Egoism, such as the idea, that in the long run, if everyone exclusively looked out for their own best interests, it would be more beneficial to society than attempting to care about other people. But this argument is contradictory, as it seems to indicate that the benefit of society matters, when the philosophy claims only the individual matters. Of the two ethical theories discussed in this paper, the one I personally give the most validity to is cultural relativism. It at least is based on diversity of moral views. But in the end if I ask myself the question how do I live a moral life? I wouldnt choose either of these theories for the basis of my life I would simply choose Christian Ethics as it is a theory based in the principles on a higher authority.

Works Cited
Cultural-Relativism.com. (2002), http://www.cultural-relativism.com/ Mosely, Dr. Alex. The Internet Encyclopedia of Ethics. Egoism ,

http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/e/egoism.htm
Wilkens, Steve. "Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics: An Introduction to Theories of Right & Wrong." Wilkens, Steve. Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics: An Introduction to Theories of Right & Wrong. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1995. 28-61.