CAS PH 251 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Franz Boas, Cultural Relativism, Ethnography
2 May 2018
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Department
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Cultural Relativism
Cultural Relativism
• Notion came from anthropologist named Franz Boas
o Believed that ethnography demonstrates moral variation
• Primitive Culture – not descriptive but value laden claim
• Moral & Scientific Objectivity – a social construction that justified colonialism
• Normative Conclusion – we should tolerate and respect all cultures, no matter how
different
• Descriptive Cultural Relativism – the empirical observation that different cultures have
very different conventions, norms and rules of acceptable conduct (ex: the treatment of
dead, infanticide, companion animals)
o Essentially there is a wide range of acceptable moral codes
• Descriptive v. Normative Claims
o Descriptive – the world is some way
o Normative – the world should be some way
The Arguments for Cultural Relativism (from Rachels)
• 1. Descriptive Cultural Relativism is true – that different cultures have different moral
codes
• 2. There is no objective standard to adjudicate between moral codes
• 3. Normative Cultural Relativism is true – that the moral code of a society determines
what is right and what is judged as right within a particular society
• 4. No value system is superior to another
• 5. Therefore, we should tolerate other cultures, norms and traditions and avoid arrogant
colonialist attitudes towards different ones
Ways to Dispute Above Argument
• Disputing Statement #1:
o 1. Different cultures can have the same moral standards but different moral
judgements (ex: Eskimos)
o 2. Different cultures can have the same moral standards but different factual
beliefs (which can lead them to make different moral judgements) (ex: patriarchy,
apartheid eugenics)
o 3. The evolutionary theory and common moral standards
▪ There can be overlapping moral standards due to the evolutionary theory
and common moral standards
▪ Moral systems tend to vary which make some more conducive than other
▪ This leads to several moralities that are responsible for sustaining
cooperative societies
• Disputing Statement #2:
o Assuming statement #1 is true, how can you arrive at statement #2?
▪ Moral codes vary widely across societies, leaving no objective morality
but instead different views
▪ Is this a valid argument?
• Logically, this is not, as it requires several follow-up statements
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Document Summary
The arguments for cultural relativism (from rachels: 1. Descriptive cultural relativism is true that different cultures have different moral codes: 2. There is no objective standard to adjudicate between moral codes: 3. Normative cultural relativism is true that the moral code of a society determines what is right and what is judged as right within a particular society: 4. No value system is superior to another: 5. Therefore, we should tolerate other cultures, norms and traditions and avoid arrogant colonialist attitudes towards different ones. Ways to dispute above argument: disputing statement #1, 1. Different cultures can have the same moral standards but different moral judgements (ex: eskimos: 2. Different cultures can have the same moral standards but different factual beliefs (which can lead them to make different moral judgements) (ex: patriarchy, apartheid eugenics: 3. Inconsistency with human rights regimes: there are objective rights (ex: democratic norms) humans hold that cannot be taken away by law or authority, 3.
