LEARNING OUTCOMES

In this unit, you should be able to

 Articulates what culture
means
 Recognized differences in
moral behavior of different
cultures
 Appreciated the differences
 Evaluated the strength and
weaknesses of cultural
relativism

INTRODUCTION
Culture is the characteristics and
knowledge of a particular group of
people, encompassing language,
religion, cuisine, social habits, music
and arts. ... The word "culture"
derives from a French term, which
in turn derives from the Latin
Unit 3: "colere," which means to tend to
the earth and grow, or cultivation
CULTURE AND MORAL and nurture.

BEHAVIOR
STYLES OF PASSENGER LEISURE SHIPS
 Welcome to Unit 3 of your learning module. Our first topic for this unit
are the different elements of culture that affect the moral behavior of
the society and individual.

CULTURE AND MORAL BEHAVIOR

Culture are those that shared in a community such as ideals, laws, customs, beliefs,
rituals, and ceremonies. Some values are described as religious, economic, or aes-
thetic.

CULTURAL RELATIVISM
-- is the idea that a person’s belief, values and practices should be understood based
on that person’s own culture rather than be judged against the criteria of another.

Cultural differences in moral judgment and behavior, across and within societies

Cultures vary substantially in both moral judgments and moral behaviors.

Cultural variations in morality within societies can vary as much as cultural variations in
morality between societies.

Cultural factors contributing to this variation include religion, social ecology (weather,
crop conditions, population density, pathogen prevalence, residential mobility), and
regulatory social institutions such as kinship structures and economic markets.

This variability raises questions for normative theories of morality, but also holds
promise for future descriptive work on moral thought and behavior.
We review contemporary work on cultural factors affecting moral judgments and
values, and those affecting moral behaviors. In both cases, we highlight examples of
within-societal cultural differences in morality, to show that these can be as substantial
and important as cross-societal differences. Whether between or within nations and
societies, cultures vary substantially in their promotion and transmission of a multitude
of moral judgments and behaviors. Cultural factors contributing to this variation
include religion, social ecology (weather, crop conditions, population density, pathogen
prevalence, residential mobility), and regulatory social institutions such as kinship
structures and economic markets. This variability raises questions for normative
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theories of morality, but also holds promise for future descriptive work on moral
thought and behavior.

Cultural Relativism: Strength and Weaknesses

People change. Cultures change. Humanity is constantly evolving, developing, and
adapting. When cultural relativism is implemented, then the ability to evolve and
adapt is encouraged because the definitions of ethical and moral “right” and “wrong”
can change as people change. Cultural relativism eliminates the rigidity that societies
have in place regarding ethics, conduct, and reasoning.
It also means that there are no actual definitions that are in place for a society. Cultural
relativism promotes an individualistic perspective which governs how a person acts,
thinks, and responds. Each person can set their own moralistic codes which they
follow.
There are additional cultural relativism advantages and disadvantages to consider
when looking at this theory. Here are some of the key points to consider.

What are the Advantages of Cultural Relativism?

1. It is a system which promotes cooperation.
For the most part, humanity is strong because of the differences we all have. Every
individual has a different perspective that is based on their upbringing, experiences,
and personal thoughts. By embracing the many differences we have, the cooperation
creates the potential for a stronger society. Each individual definition of success allows
us to pursue stronger bonds with one another and potentially achieve more because
there are no limitations from a group level and what can or cannot be accomplished.
2. It creates a society where equality is possible.
In any society, people rise by climbing on top of other people. It is a socially acceptable
way of creating discrimination. We see this today in the wage gap that women face,
the educational opportunities that minority groups face, and the violence we see
because of political oppression. Cultural relativism allows the individual to define their
moral code without defining the moral code of others. Each person is separate in such
a society. That separation creates equality because each person can set their own
definition of success.
3. People can pursue a genuine interest.
In the modern society, people are funneled toward certain career options because of
their circumstances. If you can’t afford to go to college, then you pursue a vocational
career or some sort of entrepreneurship instead of a career that requires a graduate
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degree. If you can’t afford to buy a house, you go rent an apartment. In cultural
relativism, you get to pursue your own interests without restriction. You set the
definitions of what you can have and what you cannot have. When implemented
successfully, each person would get to focus on their strengths instead of their
weaknesses.
4. Respect is encouraged in a system of cultural relativism.
People come from different cultures. They have different ideas. They pursue different
definitions of success. Because such a system promotes the individual’s definition
instead of a group definition, a society can evolve because there is a natural level of
respect built into the process. Each person is naturally given the right to pursue life
through their own specific perspective and then learn from their experiences in a way
that works best for them.
5. It preserves human cultures.
Humanity is a very diverse set of thoughts, traditions, ideas, and practices. Many times,
the traditions of humanity are set aside so that a group set of standards can be
appeased. Native and First Nations tribes in North America did this by signing treaties
which would help them to preserve some lands, but limit their rights by being subject
to a new governmental authority. They were forced to trade some of their culture.
Under the theory of cultural relativism, such a trade would not be necessary. It
wouldn’t even be a consideration.
6. Cultural relativism creates a society without judgment.
We are so trained to judge others in today’s world that we don’t even give it a second
thought. Looking at someone and saying, “Glad that isn’t me,” is a judgment. Under
the theory of cultural relativism, judgment goes away. The only person that judges you
is yourself. People who might disagree with you are able to set their own codes and
standards for their own individualistic bubble. Instead of worrying about others, you
only worry about yourself.
7. Moral relativism can be excluded from cultural relativism.
Each culture can be treated as an individual under the theory of cultural relativism.
This means the moral codes of a culture can be defined and an expectation
implemented that people follow it. Although other cultures may not setup such a
restriction, and others might say such a restriction isn’t a true form of cultural
relativism, people in such a system can do what makes the most sense for them.
You’re focusing on the customs of a culture, not the morality that is imposed upon
those customs.
8. We can create personal moral codes based on societal standards with ease.
To determine if a decision would be “right” or “wrong,” cultural relativism allows
individuals to consult with the standards of their society or culture. It is a simple test to
determine the course that a person should take in such a circumstance. By consulting
with the moral code of the culture, one question must be asked: does the action
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conform to the cultural moral code? If it does, then the action is permitted. Although
this process can allow for disturbing results, most cultures are based on inclusion
instead of exclusion. It is only in structures where apartheid, segregation, or purging
where disturbing outcomes are typically present.
9. It stops cultural conditioning.
People tend to adapt their attitudes, thoughts, and beliefs to the people they are with
on a regular basis. This is cultural conditioning and it prevents people from having an
individualistic perspective. Cultural relativism stops this.
What Are the Disadvantages of Cultural Relativism?
1. It creates a system that is fueled by personal bias.
Every society has a certain natural bias to it because of how humanity operates. People
tend to prefer to be with others who have similar thoughts and feelings, so they
segregate themselves into neighborhoods, communities, and social groups that share
specific perspectives. When people are given the power to define their own moral
code, then they will do so based on their own personal bias. There is no longer a group
perspective. People follow their own code at the expense of others.
2. It would create chaos.
People who can follow their own moral code because there is no “wrong” or “right”
would be allowed to pursue any life they preferred under the theory of cultural
relativism. If you’re upset with your neighbor, then you can kill that person without
consequence if your moral code allows for murder. Instead of purchasing something,
you could steal it if you see stealing as “right” to do. There is no real way to protect
people in such a society, so each person becomes responsible to protect themselves. It
creates a system that is Darwinian in practicality, where only the strongest can survive.
3. It is an idea that is based on the perfection of humanity.
Many people strive to do good every day. Most want to see everyone have the chance
to pursue happiness in some way. That is why the idea of cultural relativism often
seems to be inviting. The only problem is that people are not perfect. We can be
forgetful. We can lie. We can become aggressive when a driver cuts you off while
driving and puts your family at risk. Without a group moral code in place to govern
decisions, anything could happen when we experience these moments of
imperfection.
4. It could promote a lack of diversity.
Cultural relativism promotes an individualistic point of view, so although it seems to
promote diversity, it actually removes it from a society. Cultural relativism would allow
slavery to return to the US South. It would allow men to exclude women from voting
once again. It would stop employers from paying someone a fair wage – or even paying
them a wage at all. The only standards that are in place are those which are set by the
individual involved, which means everyone is pursuing their own position of strength.

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We cannot create diversity when the emphasis of a society is individualistic gain that
can come at the expense of others.
5. It draws people away from one another.
Although cultural relativism can promote people coming together to share their
strengths, it can also encourage people to draw apart from one another. C.S. Lewis, in
his description of Hell from The Screwtape Letters, envisions a place where people are
constantly going away from each other to avoid the demons that each person has.
Because each person is uncertain of what codes and standards another is following,
the natural inclination for self-preservation causes people to draw away. You might
develop a close-knit community at first, but as Lewis describes, each demon causes
people to back away from one another instead of coming closer.
6. It could limit moral progress.
When we look at the idea of moral progress, we think of becoming more inclusionary
instead of exclusionary. This inclusion is reflected in the laws and customs of the
culture. The current debate on the transgender bathroom laws in North Carolina and
Texas is a good example of this. In cultural relativism, everyone would be able to use
their bathroom of choice OR a culture could state that everyone must use a specific
bathroom without exception and there would be complete agreement in either choice.
Within the society, either choice would be seen as moral progress, but in reality, it
could hold people back.
7. It could limit humanity’s progress.
We often think of the concept of cultural relativism as progression, but it isn’t
necessarily that way. When you remove the ability to judge one standard from
another, then the comparative process of placing a current society or culture against a
past one is removed as well. No definition of success can be implemented because
each is successful in its own way. We might consider the ability for women to vote as
the “right” thing to do today, but in past societies, not allowing women to vote was
also “right” from a cultural standpoint. Because both are “right,” there’s no way to
judge progress.
8. Cultural relativism can turn perceptions into truths.
It’s a dark night and it is warm outside. An African-American teen is walking down an
alley wearing a hoodie and the hood is up. His hands are jammed into his pockets and
there is a bulge in one of them. In this scenario, some people may automatically
assume that the teen is up to “no good.” The bulge might even be a weapon under
that assumption. In the world of cultural relativism, that bias becomes a truth that can
be acted upon. It doesn’t matter if the bulge is a gun or a package of Skittles. The
decision to act becomes a righteous one because of the individual truth that the
culture allowed through the bias it perpetrates.
The cultural relativism advantages and disadvantages which are discussed are based on
the theoretical implementation of such a system. Originally proposed by Franz Boas in
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1887, it is an idea that has never been implemented on a large scale. Moral standards
make sense in a person’s culture. By creating individualized cultures, on singular or
larger scales, it does become easier to keep and embrace the traditions that humanity
has developed over the millennia.

References and Internet resources:

Ethics and The Filipino: A Manual on Morals for Students and Educators Second
Edition ( 2008 ): Agapay, R.
Ethics: Standard of Human Conduct ( 2007 ). Corpuz, R.

Internet sources:
Elsevier ( current opinion in psychology ) https://doi.org/j.copsyc.2015.09.007
vittana,org/17-cutural-relativism-advantages-and-disadvantages

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