PHIL1004 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Cultural Relativism, Relativism, Cultural Imperialism
12.1 IS MORALITY CULTURALLY RELATIVE?
Is there an objective morality?
Three Arguments for Cultural Relativism
- Reality of Cultural Difference
- Concern about the lens of our own conceptual scheme
- Value of Tolerance
- It’s all relatie X = it’s all sujetie
Cultural Relativism: NO! What counts as good and bad is culturally relative.
What exactly is the position?
Moral claims are true or false relative to the beliefs and values of the culture in which these claims are made.
Cultural Relativism: NO! What counts as good and bad is culturally relative.
Society 1 → Belief X is good → True!
Society 2 → Belief X is bad → True!
Three arguments for cultural relativism
1. Argument from Reality of Cultural Difference
- P1 There seem to be a variety of moral beliefs and practices in different cultures
- C Moral claims are true or false relative to the beliefs and values of the culture in which these claims
are made.
- Is P1 a good reason for C? Rachels: NO!
- Scientific Case: Origins of the universe. Different views and much disagreement → X No objective
aser it’s all sujetie ad relatie
- Worr…. Perhaps too siple…
- Scientific Case: Climate Change. Inference to the best explanation.
- The est eplaatio of P is C….
- Rachels: No! there is a better explanation of P1.
Is cultural relativism the best explanation of moral differences between cultures?
- Rachels: No! there is a better explanation of P1.
- The differences are best explained in terms of different situations not different moral values
- The Eskios alues ere ot all that different from our own. It is only that life forced choices upon
the that e do ot hae to ake p 5
- Society 1: Practice; Infanticide. Environmental Factors X.
- Society 2: Practice; No Infanticide. Environmental Factors Y.
- Rachels argued that the Eskimos lifestyle forced these practices.
- Is Rachels right? Does this explain ALL cases of cultural difference?
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Document Summary
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