Because of the wide variety of cultural differences that exist in the world today, it is easy to see why many people support the idea of cultural relativism. This is the belief that no universal moral principles exist and each culture has the final say on what is right for them (Vaughn, 30). While there is some merit to this belief, the idea as a whole doesn’t hold up to further scrutiny. In this essay, we will analyze these issues present in cultural relativism as well as consider what, if anything, cultural relativism has to teach us in regards to tolerance of other cultures. We will begin our analysis by looking at the most common argument in favor of cultural relativism. Lewis Vaughn breaks down this argument into three key parts (34). First, different cultures have different ideas of what is right and wrong (Vaughn, 34). Because of this, there are no universal principles of morality (Vaughn, 34). Therefore, if a culture approves of a certain action, then that action is indeed morally right (Vaughn, 34). From this argument, we can conclude that all cultures should be tolerated since they are the final authority on the morality of their own actions. This is where the argument of cultural relativism begins to fail.
What if intolerance itself is a major part of one’s culture? Under cultural relativism, this intolerance would be considered morally right. By the same token, a different culture that emphasizes being tolerant of others would also be right. This highlights the