Cultural Relativism And Its Impact On The World - 1915 Words

Cultural relativism is the idea that all cultures are equal and no one is better than another. This way of thinking was created and elaborated on by three main philosophers. Franz Boas, Alain Locke and Robert Lowie were nineteenth century philosophers who shaped the ideas on concepts of Cultural Relativism. These three men focused on the idea that one cannot judge other cultures because they only see through eyes that have been influenced by their surroundings. They used relativist ideas that existed already and expressed them on the world and the many different cultures that exist in it. They created a mainly atheistic viewpoint in which the idea of a central moral truth and a higher power was discounted. Only the people within a culture could create moral codes and laws for themselves. Franz Boas was born on July 19, 1858 in Minden, Germany. Boas grew up in a well educated family and was encouraged to follow his own beliefs and think for himself. From a very young age, Fran z Boas was interested in natural history and studied it throughout his years of schooling. He continued his studies and graduated with a degree in physics, even though he considered himself more of a geographer than a physicist. This interest in geography is what drove him to delve deeper into the ideas of cultural difference and led to the beginnings of cultural relativism. Through his studies, Franz Boas became drawn to anthropology, the study of humankind. He became interested inShow MoreRelatedCultural Relativism in Business1590 Words   |  7 Pages Topic: Cultural Relativism In Business Submitted to: Mr. Mehmood Ul Hassan Khalil Submitted by: Waqas Shehzad Class: BBA 5D Cultural Relativism: Cultural relativism is the view that all beliefs are equally valid and that truth itself is relative, depending on the situation, environment, and individual. Those who hold to cultural relativism hold that all religious, ethical, aesthetic, and political beliefs are completely relative to the individual within a cultural identity. Cultural relativismRead MoreCultural Relativism1386 Words   |  6 PagesJames Rachels essay titled The Challenge of Cultural Relativism is more of a critique over what philosophers call Cultural Relativism. A theory in which states that there is no real sense of morality and that it is one’s own culture that makes up their own morality. A lot of people tend to reason things in the way that Cultural Relativists might, by saying things such as â€Å"Oh, well it’s what that culture does. It’s okay that they’re doing that† however, sometimes people think the opposite â€Å"No, itRead MoreThe Necessity For Objective Moralit y1600 Words   |  7 PagesMorality is a key component to every day life, and due to its large impact on the world, it is often a major topic of discussion and argument. 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For example, â€Å"Army appears to be using the anthropological information to betterRead MoreWhat is Female Circumsicion Essay997 Words   |  4 PagesFemale Circumcision The World Health Organization defines female circumcision as â€Å"a procedure involving partial or total removal of the external genitalia for cultural, religious, or non-therapeutic reasons(1).† It is commonly practiced by Muslims in Africa and various parts of the Middle East. According to Loretta Kopelman, there are over 80 million women who have had some variation of this procedure. Female circumcision is categorized into three types; Type one is the complete or partial removalRead MoreEssay on The Ethical Dilemma of Defining Moral Absolutes1266 Words   |  6 Pagesview comes into play in an attempt to further define moral guidelines that are relative to the perspective of a society’s cultural norms and beliefs. Robert Fuller and Peter Berger both highlight the positive and negative merits of each ethical point of view and ultimately come to loosely the same conclusion, that neither view is an absolute answer to the question of cultural values and moral beli efs. While both theories do have their positive merits, they also have some flaws that can only be resolvedRead MoreCultural Competence And Why Is It Important1027 Words   |  5 PagesCompetency 1 Understand cultural competence and why is it important especially for that have a diverse workforce. The United States has become increasingly a culturally diverse society. The understanding of cultural relativism in a multicultural working environment can be of a great importance to the success or failure of an organization. What is cultural competency? Before we explain it, let’s take a step back and analyze culture, cultural diversity, and Cultural relativism. Objective 1a: Define