5.1 Cultural Relativism vs. Ethical Absolutism

Cultural relativism and ethical absolutism represent opposing views on morality. Cultural relativism says moral standards vary between cultures, while ethical absolutism claims universal moral truths exist. These perspectives shape how we judge right and wrong across societies.

The debate impacts how we approach ethical dilemmas. Cultural relativism promotes tolerance but struggles to condemn harmful practices. Ethical absolutism provides clear guidelines but can be inflexible. Finding a middle ground that balances universal principles with cultural context is often seen as ideal.

Cultural Relativism vs Ethical Absolutism

Defining Cultural Relativism

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• Cultural relativism holds that moral or ethical systems vary from culture to culture and are all equally valid with no one system being superior to others
• Asserts that all religious, ethical, aesthetic, and political beliefs are completely relative to the individual within a cultural identity (Western culture, Islamic culture, etc.)

Defining Ethical Absolutism

• Ethical absolutism maintains that there are absolute standards against which moral questions can be judged and that certain actions are inherently right or wrong, regardless of context
• Holds that moral standards are universal and do not vary between cultures or individuals
• Moral absolutists believe in the existence of moral absolutes and claim that actions are intrinsically right or wrong regardless of circumstances or consequences (lying is always wrong)

Key Principles of Cultural Relativism and Ethical Absolutism

Contrasting Philosophical Approaches

• Cultural relativism and ethical absolutism are two opposing philosophical approaches to understanding morality and ethical decision-making
• Cultural relativism asserts that moral rightness and wrongness vary from society to society with no absolute universal moral standards
• Ethical absolutism contends that morality exists independently of cultural differences and that there are absolute moral standards that apply universally

Beliefs About the Nature of Truth and Morality

• Cultural relativism holds that all beliefs are equally valid and that truth itself is relative, depending on situation, environment, and individual
• Ethical absolutism maintains there are absolute moral standards that are universally true across all contexts and individuals
• Cultural relativists argue that since different cultures have different moral codes, there is no singular truth regarding which moral principles are correct
• Ethical absolutists believe there are objective moral truths that hold universally regardless of what a particular culture or individual believes (human rights, prohibitions on murder, etc.)

Defining Ethical Behavior

• Cultural relativism suggests that ethical behavior is defined by cultural norms and what is considered acceptable within a given society
• Ethical absolutism contends that there are objective moral standards that determine what is ethical, regardless of cultural practices or beliefs
• For cultural relativists, if a culture practices female genital mutilation, it is an ethical practice within that context
• For ethical absolutists, female genital mutilation is unethical regardless of cultural acceptance, as it violates moral absolutes (human rights, bodily autonomy, etc.)

Strengths and Weaknesses of Cultural Relativism and Ethical Absolutism

Strengths and Weaknesses of Cultural Relativism

• Strength: Promotes tolerance and respect for cultural diversity by acknowledging that different cultures may have different moral values and practices that should be respected rather than judged against an absolute universal standard
• Weakness: Can lead to moral nihilism, the view that there are no moral truths whatsoever, which most regard as an unacceptable conclusion
• Strength: Avoids ethnocentrism and promotes open-mindedness by not automatically judging other cultures by one's own standards
• Weakness: Provides no framework for resolving moral disagreements between societies and offers no way to criticize morally abhorrent practices in other cultures that conflict with fundamental human rights (slavery, genocide, etc.)

Strengths and Weaknesses of Ethical Absolutism

• Strength: Provides moral guidelines that are fixed and not dependent on circumstances, consequences, or cultural differences
• Weakness: Can sometimes fail to allow for flexibility in circumstances that could impact the morality of an action (lying to protect an innocent life)
• Strength: Offers a way to resolve moral disagreements by appealing to objective, universal moral standards
• Weakness: Can lead to moral absolutism, the view that there is only one correct moral view that should be rigidly followed in all circumstances without exception, failing to recognize moral nuance and complexity
• Strength: Aligns with intuitions that some things are always wrong regardless of context (torturing babies for fun)
• Weakness: Oversimplifies complex moral issues and imposes one moral view on all people and cultures without accounting for important contextual differences

Comparing the Implications

• Cultural relativism respects diversity, but at the cost of providing no way to condemn clear moral atrocities in other cultures (ethnic cleansing)
• Ethical absolutism provides moral clarity and a way to resolve disagreements, but at the cost of oversimplifying complex moral issues and imposing one rigid moral view on everyone
• Most consider cultural relativism's implications (complete denial of moral truths) unacceptable, while ethical absolutism's implications seem too extreme in the other direction (no flexibility for context)
• A middle ground between the two is often seen as most plausible: allowing for some universal moral standards while also recognizing an important role for context and circumstance in moral reasoning

Implications of Cultural Relativism and Ethical Absolutism in Moral Reasoning

Implications of Adopting Cultural Relativism

• One could not judge the rightness or wrongness of the practices of other cultures; their values and practices would have to be seen as just as valid as one's own even if they seem unethical (child marriage, honor killings)
• Creates a reluctance to intervene in or criticize other cultures' practices even when they violate fundamental human rights, as this would be seen as an imposition of an outside moral standard
• The idea of moral progress becomes incoherent, as there would be no absolute standard against which to judge a society's current practices as better or worse than those of the past
• What constitutes moral improvement could only be judged relative to a particular culture's ideals, making the concept of moral progress meaningless (abolition of slavery not "progress" from an relativist view if a culture still accepts it)

Implications of Adopting Ethical Absolutism

• Entails believing that there are universal moral truths that hold for all people at all times, and that these truths should form the basis for moral reasoning and behavior
• Enables condemning practices in other cultures that violate these moral absolutes with confidence (child labor, human trafficking, etc.)
• Requires a commitment to following absolute moral rules in all circumstances and imposing them on others, even if doing so has negative consequences or fails to consider relevant contextual factors
• Can lead to moral inflexibility and a lack of sensitivity to particular circumstances in moral reasoning (not lying even if it would save an innocent life)

Reconciling Relativism and Absolutism

• Cultural relativism may promote descriptive relativism (the view that moral beliefs and practices vary between cultures) but it need not entail normative/meta-ethical relativism (the view that no moral standards are objectively valid or universal)
• One could acknowledge cultural differences in moral views while still maintaining that some views are closer to objective moral truth than others (respect for human rights more valid than totalitarianism)
• However, descriptive relativism does lend intuitive support to meta-ethical relativism, as diversity of views suggests no culture has a monopoly on moral truth
• Even if ethical absolutism is accepted, there can still be disagreement about what the absolute moral standards are and how they should be applied in particular cases
• Adopting absolutism does not necessarily resolve all moral disagreements, as there can be differing views about the content and interpretation of absolute moral rules (Kantian vs. utilitarian interpretations)
• The most plausible view for many is a pluralistic approach that recognizes some objective moral standards while allowing context to inform the application of those standards in particular circumstances