Explain the Difference Between Moral Relativism and Cultural Relativism.

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Relativism is the idea that nothing may be said to be objectively right or wrong because it depends on the situation, culture or time period. Moral relativism is the idea that there are no universally valid moral principles and so there is no one true morality. Cultural relativism is the idea that what is right or wrong depends on the culture. The origins of relativism can be traced back to Ancient Greece. At around the 8th century BC being ‘good’ meant being a heroic warrior. At that point being noble, strong and courageous was the most important thing. This view was supported by the theories of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle who all look at the ideas of character and virtue. However the discovery of new and different civilisations in the 6th century brought with it different views on what it meant to be ‘good’. An example of different cultures causing conflict was the suggestion by King of Ancient Persia, Darius suggesting that the Callatians, who customarily ate their dead, swapped their funeral customs with the Greeks, who cremated their dead. The Callatians were horrified by the idea of burning their dead and the Greeks were horrified by the idea of eating their dead. The discoveries of these different civilisations with their different views caused the Greeks to question the absoluteness of their moral ideas. At this point a series of learned people, called Sophists emerged and debated that morality was relative and a matter of opinion. They believed that what was right and wrong varied from time to time, from place to place and from person to person. One of the men, Protagoras said “Man is the measure of all things.” Meaning that values must come from within human beings and are dependent upon our circumstances and situations. This view was opposed by Plato, Socrates and Aristotle. Socrates believed that all humans share a common understanding of what is

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