Ethnocentrism

Ruth Benedict describes cultural relativism as the belief that what is abnormal in one society may be considered normal in another, and vice versa, as well as that a person’s ethics and behaviors are shaped by the culture in which they grew up (Benedict, p. 22). By this logic, no culture is morally superior to another, and none are wrong. This idea is innocent enough when debating between sweet and unsweet tea, but it becomes more difficult to defend when talking about the custom of mothers in Japan killing their children while committing suicide, because the children are viewed as an extension of the

Culture is a highly influential factor on humans. Humans are still subject to error, and therefore, can have their conclusions affected by the lens of their culture. For example, something foreign to the native culture of an individual may be reacted to as “taboo” or “immoral.” In contrast, something

9. The idea that because something once strongly affected our life, it should indefinitely affect it -- instead of the idea that we can learn from our past experiences but not be overly-attached to or prejudiced by them.

d.     What are the important values in this culture; is there understanding of these values

Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism are two contrasting terms that are displayed by different people all over the world. Simply put, ethnocentrism is defined as “judging other groups from the perspective of one’s own cultural point of view.” Cultural relativism, on the other hand, is defined as “the view that all beliefs are equally valid and that truth itself is relative, depending on the situation, environment, and individual.” Each of these ideas has found its way into the minds of people worldwide. The difficult part is attempting to understand why an individual portrays one or the other. It is a question that anthropologists have been asking themselves for years.

There are many things in life that are legal and moral in one culture but illegal and immoral in another. Cultures judge other cultures because they do not follow their own cultural beliefs, in a way they use their own culture as a measuring stick that all other cultures should measure up to, this idea is called ethnocentrism. It’s the belief that our own culture is normal. The concept of cultural relativism is to not judge the behavior of others using the standards of their own culture but that each culture must be judged and analyzed on its own terms according to its own culture. The view of ethnocentrism should only be used when the culture’s actions disturb ethics, morals and human rights.

As the world population soars above seven billion people, it comes in tact with a multitude of differences. As we grow up, we individually develop and adapt to the culture we were taught. Which means undeniably we are all ethnocentric. Derived from the Greek word “ethnos” which means people or group, and centrism which relates to central, the term ethnocentrism can be summarized as “using your own set of standards and customs to judge all people, often unconsciously” (Deane, 1991, p. 1). Oblivious to the judgment we place on different aspects in the environment around us, we do it everyday. In America, we are a country of diversity. Uprise in our political environment is a prime example of our negative ethnocentric tendencies and prejudice applied to various individuals or groups. Ethnocentrism includes finding one culture more superior to others, your own culture being the superior one. As your awareness and knowledge of cultural differences strengthens, your attitude towards culture evolves, therefore becoming more culturally intelligent.

Within Western Culture, ethnocentrism is passed down from one generation to the next. This can be seen in many ways through the development of anthropology. It is also seen in the context of spiritual life and faith which the Western view has been imposed on many people groups throughout the world. It was not until anthropology changed from being a comparison of culture, an armchair approach, to a more historical particularism approach that we have been able to better appreciate different cultures. Aside from anthropological work, this understanding is vital for Christians everywhere. From this new anthropological approach, we as Christians must turn away from ethnocentrism and appreciate the way God moves through cultural context, specifically studies of language and kinship, in order to have a better understand each other and of who God is.

13. The world functions with strong relationships without this people begin to compete with one another.

Put on your thinking caps and think of the last time you pre-judged someone based upon culture? I think it is safe to assume everyone has experienced first-hand the act of prejudging culture. Culture comes in many shapes and forms, such as ways of dressing, dating, or eating, as we learned about on January 3, 2017 lecture. Ultimately, judging someone in view of their culture, or way of living, before getting to know them is called ethnocentrism (page 37 in Communicate!). We discover ethnocentrism in a multitude of different places, for example in the market, workplace, school, or restaurants (page 191 in Communicate!). Many people are guilty of making these judgements of culture each day. These predicaments of culture can be made by public

Cultural relativism refers to the concept of assessing an individual’s values, belief system and cultural practices not in isolation but against the backdrop of other cultural practices and beliefs. To understand the dynamics of cultural relativism, it is important to understand the theory of relativism. In terms of culture, relativism focuses on breaking free from the idea that moral standards of an individual or a society can be compartmentalized, because we are all ultimately governed by ethical guidelines that may be unique to a distinct cultural and geographical setting but cannot remain restricted by it. Cultural relativism can be interpreted in two different ways: Moral Atheism, that states that the constantly shifting patterns of

Cultural relativism is a belief where there are no absolute moral views or beliefs can be apply to all cultures, which makes “right” and “wrong” different in every society; what is considered “right” in one society may be considered “wrong” in another. Since no universal standard of morality exists, no one has the right to judge another society’s customs. If this belief is held true, then every culture will have their own set of “rules” to live by and no one can judge on, even they are doing things that are abnormal in this world, because in that particular group the action will be viewed as perfectly normal. This creates a situation where no person regardless of his or her authority in

Cultural Relativism sets out to prove that “the view that [is] [socially] approved is the ultimate measure of morality” (Landau 183). There are two forms of Moral skepticism; this paper will focus on the subtopic in Ethical Relativism called cultural relativism. I will outline the faultiness of the argument presented by cultural relativism by discussing that it forces me to conform to my societies views, argue that the subcultures within cultures values may differ from the general culture, and demonstrate how “there are no objective moral standards that apply universally,” (Landau 183).

In moral theory, Cultural Relativism is widely polarizing amongst its supporters and opponents. The most basic summary of the theory is that morality differs based on what your family culture, or culture you’ve accepted as your own, is. Opponents claim that this leads to no real objective morality, no set standards, possibly leading to generally terrible immoral acts like genocide receiving justification. An argument that some supporters use in rebuttal is that those differing cultural beliefs are based off non-moral things. An example of what that means is that a culture may very well believe that dogs are a product of the devil so they must kill puppies in order to cleanse the world. Let’s discuss how applicable this response really is.

Cultural Relativism stems from the concept that numerous cultures possess individualistic and varying moral codes. In this paper, I will argue that cultural relativism is deemed as invalid. In respect to my argument, I will discuss its invalidity due to four varying concepts: non-excusable and excusable actions, morality of individuals, chaos, and the fact that not forming a judgement is still a judgement.