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Lesson 7 Cultural Relativism

Cultural Relativism - Business Ethics topic

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Hana Timajo
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175 views13 pages

Lesson 7 Cultural Relativism

Cultural Relativism - Business Ethics topic

Uploaded by

Hana Timajo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Intended Learning Outcomes:


• Explain cultural relativism.
• Cite the strengths and weaknesses of
cultural relativism.
Divorce is not allowed in the
Philippines, but Some country
men and women can legally
divorce to their respective wife
or husband.
Why are there so many differences
in societies on what is acceptable
or what is not acceptable?

Is it true that different cultures


have radically different moral
codes?
“What is true for me is true for
me, and what is true
for you is true for you."
Cultural Perspective

Perspective is a standpoint or viewpoint of something.

Cultural perspective is viewing a situation or concept


through the eyes of an individual's native
environmental and social influence.
What is cultural relativism?

Cultural relativism is the idea


that a person's beliefs,
values, and practices should
be understood based on that
person's own culture, rather
than be judged against the
criteria of another.
Cultural relativism point of view
morality or ethical systems vary from culture to culture, and all
equally valid and no one system is "better" than any other: This
is based on the idea that there is no ultimate standard of good
or evil, so every judgment about right and wrong is a product of
society.
Therefore, any opinion on morality no moral or ethical system
can be considered the "best” or "worst" and no particular
moral or ethical position can actually be considered "right" or
"wrong."
Morality is relative to the norms of one’s culture. That
is, whether an action is right or wrong depends on
the moral norms of the society in which is practiced.
The same action may be morally right in one society
but be morally wrong in another.
The danger of cultural relativism is the idea of relativism
itself. Whether an action is right or wrong depends on the
moral norms of the society in which it is practiced.

What is good depends on what society’s culture considers


as good. What is bad likewise depends on what society’s
culture considers as bad.
Advantages of cultural relativism

1. It warns us from assuming that our preferences are not


the absolute rational standard.

2. It teaches us to keep an open mind and to be more


amenable in discovering the truth.

3. Many of our practices are relevant only to our particular


community.
Dangers of cultural relativism

1. We cannot call out societal practices that


promote harm.

2. We cannot justifiably criticize our own culture’s


harmful practices.

3. The idea of social progress becomes doubtful.


What have you learned about cultural relativism?
Cultural relativism refers to not judging a culture to our own
standards of what is right or wrong. Instead, we should try to
1
understand cultural practices of other groups in its own cultural
context, not by the standards of other cultures.
2
Morality is relative to the norms of one’s culture.
3
3 Absolute relativism is self contradictory and impossible.
Absolute relativism states “ there are no absolute truth”.
4
There is a difference between cultural perspective and
cultural relativism. To have a cultural perspective is to
understand people’s beliefs, values and practices in the
context of their own. But is does not follow that morality
must be based on the said culture
NOW…
Do you really agree with the
concept of cultural relativism?
Why or why not?

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