Cultural relativism - Essay Example

al Affiliation Moral Relativism Introduction Moral relativism described as the view that morally based judgments are correct or right about a given standpoint. For example, two individuals may argue differently on the issue of wife battering in the society. While each of them has concrete reasons to support their arguments, there is no unique judgment made since each person views that they are right and the other one is wrong depending on their moral standpoint. Moral relativism does not support a particular argument but ensures that the judgments made on the basis of an individual’s morality are true according to that person’s moral standpoint (Russ 279).

Difference The cultural background of an individual determines their moral beliefs in various ways. This is as a result of difficulties to change ones beliefs and cultural practices which determine their respective moral beliefs. Culture is one of the major influences of a person’s relation with different beliefs which clearly indicate that moral beliefs are dependent on the culture. While moral beliefs can be cross-culture, it is viewed that the persons with similar moral beliefs share common cultural practices.

For example, a person residing in Africa may have a moral belief that, it is hard to maintain a polygamous marriage which concurs with the same opinion of the person residing in Europe. This clearly shows that all cultures share some moral beliefs. The main difference in the two perspectives is that: all moral beliefs depend on the culture of the individual and cannot be easily changed by the environmental factors (Russ 290). On the contrary, the cross-culture moral beliefs are easily changed by the environment.

The environment impact on the moral beliefs is reflected in adulthood where the person develops a different approach to particular issues and arguments in the society. In addition, the moral beliefs which are shared by all cultures tend to vary with respect to technological advancement and modernization in a particular culture as compared to other cultures. The difference arises where the environmental influence on the moral beliefs in a given culture affects all individuals in that culture implying that the moral beliefs still depend on the culture.

On the other hand, environmental impact on the moral tends to vary the cross-culture moral beliefs which minimizes the similarities and creates a larger borderline (Russ 278).Examples Culture shock occurs when a person is introduced to a different culture. Culture shock occurs in various forms such as new dialects, food and views. For example, a person is offended when they see people in the new culture doing things that are not okay in the culture from which they originate. For example; my Muslim friend is always offended by the fact that women in Europe are allowed to wear trousers and miniskirts.

Cultures should have different moral beliefs in that it allows people from different cultures to experiences changes when they are introduced to a new culture. For example; a person who believes in a particular form of dress code gets to learn from individuals with varying opinions. Everyone opinion should be the same since it enhances easiness in adapting to new cultures. For example; when people have the same opinion of on the aspect of dressing in public, it enables people to feel comfortable in any given culture regardless of their dress code.

ReferencesRuss, S. The Fundamentals of Ethics. New York: Oxford University Pres, 2011.