Introduction to Ethics Lecture 9 The Challenge of Cultural Relativism

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Introduction to EthicsLecture 9The Challenge of
Cultural Relativism

• By David Kelsey

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What is Relativism?

• Different ways of defining Cultural Relativism
• 1. There is no objective standard that can be
  used to judge one societal code better than
  another.
• 2. The moral code of our own society has no
  special status it is merely one among many.
• 3. There is no universal truth in ethics--that
  is, there are no moral truths that hold for all
  peoples at all times.
• 4. 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, at least within
  that society.
• 5. We should adopt an attitude of tolerance
  toward the practices of other cultures.

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The Cultural Differences Argument

• The cultural differences argument
• 1. Different cultures have different moral codes.
• 2. Therefore, there is no objective truth in
  morality. Right and wrong are only matters of
  opinion, and opinions vary from culture to
  culture.
• Evidence for 1
• The Callatians ate the dead
• The Greeks cremation
• The Eskimo Infanticide

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Arguments against Cultural Relativism The
Cultural Differences Argument isnt valid

• The argument isnt valid
• Although 1) is true 2) could still be false.
• The first premise concerns what people believe
  while the conclusion concerns what really is the
  case.
• There is no reason to think that if there is a
  moral truth everyone will know it.
• Reply
• Is the argument meant to be deductive or
  inductive?
• The missing premise

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Cultural Relativism and its implausible
consequences

• If Cultural Relativism were true
• 1. We could no longer say that the customs of
  other societies are morally inferior to our own.
• You couldnt criticize the Nazis
• 2. We could decide whether actions are right or
  wrong just by consulting the standards of our
  society.
• To find right action we must simply consult our
  societies moral code.
• But then on this view we cannot even criticize
  our own societies moral code.
• But is our societies moral code really perfect?

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One final consequence of Relativism

• 3. The idea of moral progress is called into
  doubt.
• There is no independent standard by which to
  judge our moral code now compared to our moral
  code hundreds of years ago. Thus, neither code
  is better.
• But havent some changes in our moral code been
  for the better?
• Consider the rights of minority groups gained in
  this country
• But to say progress has occurred is to say things
  are better now.
• And further, how do we explain Social Reform
• No progress in changing a societies ideals only
  in the case that the society isnt living up to
  its ideals

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There is less disagreement than it seems

• What appears to be disagreement about value is
  reducible to disagreement of belief about fact.
• Just ask why the apparent disagreement in value
  occurs and a factual disagreement appears.
• Examples
• A culture in which people think its wrong to eat
  cows.
• They believe the souls of humans inhabit the
  bodies of cows
• The Eskimos practice infanticide to survive

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All Cultures have some values in common

• Common values
• 1. All cultural groups must value protecting
  their infants.
• 1. Human infants are helpless and cannot survive
  if they are not given extensive care for a period
  of years.
• 2. Therefore, if a group did not care or its
  young, the young would not survive, and the older
  members of the group would not be replaced.
• 3. Therefore, any cultural group that continues
  to exist must care for its young.
• 2. All cultural groups must value truth telling.
• Communication in society would break down

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All societies must prohibit murder

• A 3rd value all societies have in common
• 3. All cultural groups must prohibit murder.
• Individuals would become self sufficient and
  society would break apart.
• Thus, there are some moral rules that all
  societies will have in common, because these
  rules are necessary for society to exist.

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What can be learned from Cultural Relativism?

• What can we learn
• Many of our practices are merely peculiar
  (relative) to our society.
• Many of our preferences are just social
  conventions.
• Examples
• Keep an open mind
• So just because we believe some action to be
  right doesnt mean it is.
• And just because someone else disagrees with
  something we believe or do, this doesnt mean
  they are incorrect.

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Final Thoughts

• Final Thoughts
• Any final thoughts on morality after we have
  considered Relativism?
• Thoughts?
• My thoughts
• Can we say morality consists of some concepts
  that are more relative than others?