Relativism

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Relativism
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Cultural Relativism William Graham Sumner

• Account of the origin of the notions of true
  and right
• Development of folkways from true and right.
• Movement from folkways to mores.
• Implications for morality

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Origin of true and right

• Truth is tied to the utility of a course of
  action
• Instrumental Rationality
• The term right applies to the evaluation or
  endorsement of a particular device or way of
  doing things.

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Folkways as the right ways

• Folkways gain acceptance (are deemed right)
  because of their instrumental rationality.
• Righttraditions
• Wrongtaboos
• Traditions are not subject to verification by
  experience.

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Examples of folkways

• World philosophy
• Life policy
• Right
• Rights
• Morality

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Ethnocentrism

• Ethnocentrism the view that ones own group is
  the center of everything, and all others are
  scaled and rated with reference to it.
• Each group believes its way of doing things, its
  folkways, are the only right ways of doing things.

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From folkways to mores

• Mores the development of the elements of truth
  and right into doctrines of welfare.
• Mores are capable of producing inferences
• Mores can themselves develop into new forms.
• Mores tell us what ought to be the case, that is,
  mores often manifest themselves in the social
  codes of a society.

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General Features of Cultural Relativism

• Different societies have different moral codes.
• There is no objective standard that can be used
  to judge one societal code better than another.
• The moral code of our own society has no special
  status it is merely one among many.
• There is no universal truth in ethics.
• The moral code of a society determines what is
  right within that society.
• It is mere arrogance for us to try to judge the
  conduct of other peoples.

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Cultural Difference Argument

• 1. Different cultures have different moral codes
  (C1 has code X, and C2 has code Y).
• 2. Therefore, there is no objective truth in
  morality. Right and wrong are only matters of
  opinion.

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Problems with the Cultural Difference Argument

• It does not follow from the fact that individuals
  believe X, that X is in fact the case.
• There may be objective truth in morality, even if
  individuals are not aware of it.

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Consequences of Cultural Relativism

• We could no longer say that the customs of other
  societies are morally inferior to our own.
• We could decide all questions of right and wrong
  by appealing to current societal practices.
• Problem of moral progress.

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Are Cultures Really that Different?

• Preservation of the young.
• Rules prohibiting the arbitrary taking of a life.
• Rules of discourse.

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Judging Cultures

• (Objective Standards)
• How well do current practices meet the needs
  and/or values of a society.
• Is the welfare of the individuals in a society
  better served by a different moral code.

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Valuable Insights of Cultural Relativism

• Different practices ? moral principles between
  cultures.
• Moral criticisms vs. Aesthetic criticisms.