Cultural relativism Essay

anthropologist. This approach does not allow for a full understanding of a culture because mores, rituals, and beliefs, can be cast aside as insignificant. The adaption of cultural relativism has allowed anthropologists to gain a better understanding of other cultural by casting aside and judgments. The practice of cultural relativism coincided with the progression away from a linear approach, and away from words such as “primitive” and…

How culture is viewed depends on three aspects: ethnocentrism, cultural relativism, and universal human rights. Ethnocentrism is the viewpoint that a person’s own culture and its contents are intrinsically better than another culture. Cultural relativism means that every culture holds equal value, and the values of one culture are not better than another. Universal human rights are the rights agreed on by the United Nations stating that every human has set rights because of their humanity…

The Traditional Understanding Although a key issue in contemporary times, relativism dates back to the beginnings of Western philosophy. As Baghramian (2015) notes, the earliest documented source on relativism can be traced back to Plato’s account of the Sophist Philosopher Protagoras of Abdera (490-420BC) who, during a period of increased contact between people of different cultures in ancient Athens, claimed that “Man is the measure of all things; of the things that are, that they are; and of…

Why should we judge other groups from the perspective of one’s own cultural point of view? Why can’t we be able to view other cultures equally regardless if it has its differences? We should not believe that one’s own culture is above and astounding over all the other cultures. Why disregard other cultures and believe that one’s own culture is the only way to go? Before we take a look at ethnocentrism we need to know what it exactly mean. According to Sumner, "ethnocentrism is the technical name…

domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”. Kuyper 's belief in the absolute truth of the Gospel contrasts sharply with the popular idea of relativism. In relativism, no absolute truths exist because people interpret truth differently relative to their cultural, societal, and historical context. In the book Life of Pi, author Yann Martel relates Pi’s belief in…

Arguments Against Epistemic Relativism Yet, despite arguments that show the validity of epistemic relativist thought, for some scholars, relativism has remained controversial and “untenable” (Kalderon, 2009, p. 236). For example, it could be argued that Black Feminist Thought has risked closing off discourse when dealing with false consciousness. Since subjugated knowledges like coloured women’s resistance develops in cultural contexts, dominant groups can attempt to influence an oppressed…

saying that there is no objective truth, or truth that can be justified. Though saying this doesn 't automatically mean that perspectivism is synonymous with relativism. Nietzsche 's perspectivism has the element of of pragmatism along with some nihilism, so that what perspective is most beneficial to you is truth for. This is unlike relativism which is the view that there are no absolute truths, just what is true for a certain people is truth. For Nietzsche he uses the term "meaning" as a…

such as hunter-gatherers, lived before us. Archaeology studies trade routes, war zones, and ancient remains of city states. Then we have linguistic anthropology, which is the study of how language helps us communicate within our culture. Finally, cultural anthropology works to comprehend why certain behaviors and beliefs exists in societies and what role they play in a certain culture. Since the beginning of time, humans have broken themselves up into groups. Originally, these groups shared a…

and Emic Perspective of Rituals Christopher Bradley ANT 101: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Instructor: Dr. Emma Bate May 16, 2018 Introduction The world of today has many different cultures that can be better understood when you view the cultures from a close and distinctive perspective. According to Crapo (2013), ethnocentrism is viewing your own culture as superior to others; whereas, cultural relativism is regarding a different culture based on the culture itself. However,…

Morality is the distinction between what is right and wrong. Some people believe that morality can be enforced with stringent laws, while other people do not. There are different stories to both sides of this argument. Morality is different from person to person. Everyone has a different set of morals that are unique and different from others. Morality can’t be enforced by law. It should be up to the individual what is right and wrong. People will do what they want to do, no matter if their…