Cultural Relativism Essay Examples

Cultural relativism is a belief in morality that places the moral authority with the culture instead of the individual. Right and wrong then are decided by consensus of the culture instead of some external law or individual conclusions based on what is right and wrong. As Russ Shafer-Landau discusses in chapter 6 of his book, this does not create a stable code of ethics that is consistent over time and across cultures, but instead a fluent code of ethics that is likely to change and sharpen itself. He writer “Each of these traits, in proportion as it reinforces the chosen behavior patterns of that culture, is for that culture normal” (Shafer-Landau, 2009). Shafer-Landau in his explanation of cultural relativism lists the various consequences of this belief and how it translates into culture and individual life.
Shafer-Landau writes that “Relativists admit that some social beliefs can be morally mistaken. These are the ones that class with society’s most cherished ideals.” However, one who adopts a cultural relativist perspective can never be mistaken since this belief system affirms the consensus of the culture as morally correct regardless of the action. Even in extreme cases of human sacrifice and slavery, so long as most of the culture agrees with it. Not only would a culture adhering to a relativist take on morality approve of these things, but they would become moral obligations that everyone within the culture would not only have to accept, but be morally bound to believe in. Opposing them, under this way of thinking, would actually be immoral.
Cultural relativists do not believe that everyone’s moral views are eually valuable. They would see some as wiser than others in moral matters (Shafer-Landau, 2009). The author does not see this as a positive thing and writes that all though it might sound open minded, in reality it is negative. He writes, “it means in practice that social codes that treat women or ethnic minorities as property are just as morally attractive as those that don’t.” (Shafer-Landau, 2009).
When looking at cultural relativism, one as an individual must look not from within a culture looking out, but from the outside with a developed code of right and wrong before affirming whether or not cultural relativism is a “good” or a “bad” thing. Cultural relativism takes the lotus of moral control and authority away from the individual and it crowd sources more decisions. This is better than having a single person decide morality based on his/her whims as happens with ethical subjectivism, but on a larger scale it faces the same risk. If societies have good ideals, then the system works, but if the morality of a society sinks, then so does the code of ethics and the sense of right from wrong with it.
Shafer-Landau finds a contradiction in this theory. Meaning, it breaks down and becomes illogical when followed to its necessary conclusion. When something is both true and false at the same time, this is a contradiction. We can say nothing objective, but can only say, “According to this culture” and then go from there. Two cultures may have completely opposite moral codes but no one could argue that one is right and one is wrong since under cultural relativism both would be right, despite the fact that they contradict each other.