Ethical Relativism

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Ethical Relativism: Who’s to Judge What Is Right or Wrong?
What is right or wrong varies between cultures, traditions, societies, values, political and religion (Pojman, 420). It has widely been debated and has created disagreements among the human race (420). According to John Ladd, ethical relativism is defined as the “doctrine that the moral rightness and wrongness of actions varies from society and that there are no absolute universal moral standards binding on all men at all times. Accordingly, it holds that whether or not it is right for an individual to act in a certain way depends on or is relative to the society to which he belongs”(420). The definition portrays a meaning that is within the ethical relativism as cultural relativism …show more content…

Benedict demonstrates the attitude towards homosexuality in one culture such as in American Indian tribes has not been always been consistent with mainstream American attitudes (422). The Berdache as called by French exists as “men-woman” who at puberty dress and work as women, even marrying other men (422). Their existence was regarded socially as “ not first-rate supernatural power” as in other cultures, but were socially placed, not left exposed to conflicts (423). Benedict’s argues that the acceptance of normal behavior differs in culture to culture and each determines what is regarded as immoral and moral (422). Therefore, the idea of morality is relative to the culture and thus highlights the society as the birth of morality ( 422).Morality is deemed to exist only in superficial levels (42 ). If most of society moral actions are followed, then the actions are normal and morally right ( …show more content…

Their argument is that a culture is destroyed if and tribes are lost if evangelized or Christianity introduced ( ). The view of ethnocentrism is put into question, that who is to charge another culture if they are wrong or right? ( ). In the 19th century, missionary works in the 19th century created changes and conflict between cultural beliefs and Christianity; specifically those with long held customs ( ). The cultural relativists may accuse the missionaries of cultural imperialism, but most people accepted that some practices were wrong ( ). Ethical relativist concludes there are no absolute universal moral principles binding for all cultures or people at all times (

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