Merit
Cultural relativism is the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within his own social context. In perspective, it means that each culture must be understood in terms of the values and ideas of that culture and that no culture is more advanced than another and, since no universal standard or morality exists, then no one has the right to judge another society’s custom (Miller, 2007, Cultural Anthropology, 4th ed.). There are people in this world that feel that their culture is the way of life and look at other cultures being strange and out of place. This type attitude is falls under the category of ethnocentric thinking, which is “judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture rather than by the standards of other cultures” (Miller, 2007, p. 24).
The advantages of cultural relativism would be that other cultures may bring value to others. For instance, the U.S. has allowed several different cultural practices and foods in America. This brings profit to other cultures that are willing to share their practices. The disadvantages of cultural relativism would be that one could face danger of ethnocentrism. For instance, if a cultural religious practice does not meet the standards are beliefs of another culture, they could risk losing their lives or freedom.
References
Miller, B. (2007). Cultural Anthropology (4th ed.). New York” Pearson, Allyn and Bacon.
Waller, B. N. (2008). Consider Ethics: Theory, Reading, and Contemporary Issues (2nd ed.). New York:
Pearson Longman.
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