One of the civilizations was the Greeks who practiced cremation for the dead while the other civilization, the Callatians, believed in Cannibalism of eating the dead. (Rachels, Page 34-35) A well educated person would believe that cremation is the morally right thing to do rather than cannibalism if they were to decide between the two. A cannibal would be considered an outcast in society since it is rare to see a cannibal living the modern world today. Rachels also brings up another scenario, the scenario of the Eskimo custom. Is it morally right for men to have more than one wife?
Although they don’t condone the procedure, they prefer to hope for change from within. Other anthropologists point out that, although cultural relativism may help us understand a culture on its own terms, it can also help us understand how cultural beliefs reinforce inequalities by convincing people to accept practices that may be harmful and demeaning as natural. In
Secondly, they authors state, “We need an explanation for why some people, but not others, are able to resist the impulses that nature has given them.” Because we don’t know why someone does something and another person do not, brings us down to a matter of choice. Free will can have a small part in the way people act. Summary: According to Rachel’s, we don’t just do things to do it, we do them because it is behavior that we constantly repeat and most likely get rewarded for. Also, they argue that any of us might behave badly of we were unlucky enough to be in the wrong circumstances. Lastly, they question whether people are just born bad.
The law against polygamy is a law based on morals. Countless people believe gay marriage is morally wrong however it is not illegal. It is merely frowned upon, nevertheless laws were not made on morals or things people do not approve of. Polygamy is something people believe is morally incorrect; even so it should not be against the
Furthermore, the idea of conscience can be limited through feelings such as guilt. Our actions may be influence if we feel guilty about something. For instance, telling a friend what they want to hear rather than the actual truth. Similarly, some political laws will limit our conscience as we have no choice but to live by them. It is argued that if we yield to this pressure it limits our
What seems to be obvious might not be true at all. Conventional wisdom can be considered as convenient. Some people would rather believe what others tell them to believe because it might be safer to be politically correct. Some people don’t have to worry about figuring it out because it has already been figured out for them. The major problem with conventional wisdom is that is difficult to prove otherwise because it is already fixed in people’s
Explain Moral Relativism Moral Relativism argues the claim that there are no universally valid rules for all people at all times, thus implying there are no intrinsic rights and wrongs. This results in Morality being relative to the individual, to their culture and their age group. In contrary Moral Absolutism is the antonym to the theory that morality is relative. Kant for example was not a moral relativist; he held the belief that we had ‘categorical imperatives’ which were always right. He believed as Absolutists believe today , we should be able to apply moral rules to everyone without making allowances for different people or circumstance , thus suggesting laws should be ‘universalisable’ .
I believe that Cultural Relativism is acceptable today as there are no universal moral truths. In different cultures certain actions have different meanings and we coming from different cultures find it difficult to comprehend the historical and cultural practices. It is more important to look at the act in context of that particular cultures moral stand on what is right and wrong. Cultural relativism is seen as wrong by many people due to what is considered inhumane by other cultural standards yet it comes down to the point of who can justify what is morally right and wrong and should we try and westernize these cultures which in the end will destroy their cultures belief and years of cultural practice. No one can ultimately set out a list of moral universal truths as they could not possibly take into consideration all practices upheld by different cultures.
On the other hand, the school of freedom or free will believe that the behavior of humans is unpredictable on the basis of precedents but it is a choice of an individual. He can choose to behave and act the way he wants to do such action. Therefore, free will hold the individual responsible for his or her action and behavior. Now, the theory of free will is subjective in its nature and, thus, rejects the scientific explanation of the behavior. The history is full of philosophers who are advocates of determinism, but the freewill school of thought has also been a subject of argument in the history.
That might help to scare away some threats of terrorism that different countries receive. It is also morally wrong to show hate against somebody just because of his or her race, religion, and culture. In cases like these, it is better to keep your mouth shut and your opinions to yourself. Someone’s health and life is worth way more than someone else’s opinion. Keep this in mind when you are faced with hurtful and hateful words.