Cultural relativism essentially states that different cultures have different moral codes. The customs of different societies are all that exists and no independent standards of right and wrong can be imposed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay Anthropologist Ruth Benedict argues that studying the cultural practices of different groups of people supports what is and what is not It's not behaviorally. culture. She suggests that “it is morally” and “it is usual” should be synonymous terms. In this theory, it suggests that murder, homosexuality, and other behaviors are perfectly acceptable when they fit the habits or morals of a particular culture. In fact, those who fail to follow these behaviors may have betrayed their culture and be seen as abnormal, even though they would be seen as good in a contrasting culture. Philosophy professor James Rachels criticizes the culture. relativism. Rachels argues that there are good reasons to reject this moral theory. He first states, in logical reasoning, that one culture can declare something to be good, such as murder, while another culture declares murder to be bad. Logically, the conclusion is that murder is neither good nor evil; it's a matter of opinion. This makes cultural relativism a flawed premise. Then, if we take cultural relativism seriously, we can no longer say that the cultures of other societies are inferior to ours. Finally, we could consult the norms of our society to decide whether actions are right or wrong, and the idea of ​​moral progress would be called into doubt. My own personal moral conviction must lean more towards Professor Rachel's belief. If cultural beliefs could govern the entire moral code of the planet, we would be in for a huge disaster. While minor things like shaving one's head or never cutting one's hair, or believing that it is right to eat meat or living by the principle of never eating meat, would be mostly irrelevant to the human race as a whole, things like murder, slavery, rape, etc., could be devastating to society. If people were allowed to run amok due to conflicting cultural beliefs, we would quickly exterminate ourselves. There must be universal norms or rules that govern the main moral values ​​of each culture. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay These major universal standards on topics such as murder, slavery, rape, lying, stealing, etc. should apply to all cultures, otherwise people would live isolated and in constant fear of others. They would constantly fear that coming into contact with another person would subject them to a number of what we consider crimes, without any punishment, because there would be no way to say that the person committed the crime because that it was a normal part of their lives. respective culture or not. A society without rules would not be a society.