ipl-logo

Thesis On Cultural Relativism

1594 Words7 Pages

Cultural relativism, in its most absolute form, is defined as culture being the “sole source of validity of a moral right or rule” (Donnelly, 1984). Such an extreme notion of cultural relativity may sometimes result in the infringement of individual human rights and fundamental freedoms. On the other hand, absolute universalism holds that culture is irrelevant to the validity of moral rights and rules. According to Article 4 of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, cultural diversity presupposes the respect for human rights. “The defence of cultural diversity is an ethical imperative, inseparable from respect for human dignity. It implies a commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms, in particular the rights of persons belonging to minorities and those of indigenous peoples. No one may invoke cultural diversity to infringe upon human rights guaranteed by international law, nor to limit their scope". In other words, UNESCO believes that the guarantee of human rights should be a pre-condition in any cultural practice. In the scenario where a cultural practice infringes upon human rights, that practice is invalid and should not be respected. Thesis In this essay, I depart from the UNESCO Declaration by arguing that the safeguarding of human rights cannot always be a pre-condition in every form of cultural practice …show more content…

Cultural relativism as a justification for harmful practices is no longer valid when individuals unwillingly and involuntarily suffer loss of “life, liberty and security” (Article 3, UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights) as a result of conforming to harmful traditions. Furthermore, cultural relativism is often used as justification for crimes against humanity by the modern state. The universality of individual human rights thus serves as a check on the potential excesses and abuse of cultural relativism (Donnelly, 1984, p.

Show More
Related
1019 Words | 5 Pages

One claim Appiah continuously brings up is the fact that this topic of culture focuses too much on the importance of preserving traditions rather than supporting the people, this can be seen in the following quote, “This same Unesco document is careful to affirm the importance of the free flow of ideas, the freedom of thought and expression and human rights -- values that, we know, will become universal only if we make them so. What 's really important, then, cultures or people?” , while he does have a point that it is important to support the individual, ultimately, by supporting the culture, you are not only supporting the individual, but by preserving and putting an importance of the culture, you simultaneously reinforce the foundation of the cultural which in turn reinforces the individual’s family and future generations to come. This support of the culture will allow the mass amount of individuals to be able to express their opinions and cultural norms in a safe and progressive environment where their social norms are accepted and encouraged, while focusing on the individual and their own culture can have negative effects. In an educational study conducted by Mary C. Hayden & Cynthia S. D. Wong, it was observed that the focus of individuals and their culture in education had to be used with caution, “In terms, however, of its claims to promote international understanding and to

Read More
773 Words | 4 Pages

To many, violation of human rights is a serious issue. This shows that for every negative force, there is always someone who recognizes the wrong and seeks to correct

Read More
796 Words | 4 Pages

These human rights 'instruments', as they are called, have fixed how many rights apply to particular groups of human beings such as women or children. They have also come up with new ideas that were not part of the thinking of those who first drafted the Universal Declaration. The link between human rights and other pillars is clearly evident all the way through the UDHR. First, it allows, in the Preamble, that the credit of the unchallengeable rights of all people is the groundwork of freedom, justice and peace across the world. Secondly, it expands the UN Charter’s stated purpose of encouraging growth by giving economic, social and cultural rights the in the same degree of safety that an individual finds for civil and political rights (Marshall

Read More
451 Words | 2 Pages

As we look throughout history, governments have implemented policies and are partially responsible for the denial of human rights to a certain group. These groups include Ukrainians and Rwandans. The denial of human rights in these regions not only affect those in the region but internationally. Both Ukrainians and Rwandans were denied their human rights. Ukraine’s hope and will was in the hands of the dictator Joseph Stalin.

Read More
324 Words | 2 Pages

World Without Genocide states, “Over 480,000 people have been killed, and over 2.8 million people are displaced.” Using cultural relativism in the Darfur genocide, we can improve or stop the situation. Cultural relativism is understanding other cultures on their own terms, in their own context. A World Without Genocide says, the Darfur genocide started in 2003 and is being carried out by Arab militias called the Janjaweed.

Read More
537 Words | 3 Pages

In the following reflection paper we will focus on the different aspects of human rights and get a better understanding from a universal understanding. Charles Beitz and Joe Hoover in these article have different perspectives in my opinion yet I believe together they are intertwined and help better understand the issues and system of human rights. The different perspectives play hand in hand to fully understand the complexity of human rights. The reason I came to this conclusion was due to the fact Charles Beitz describes human rights especially in the universal declaration of human rights as a “common concern” and Joe Hoover reads in this same UDHR document an expression of “plurality and contestation” they both stress on the importance of the matter to society and universally.

Read More
1542 Words | 7 Pages

In another word, human right is an important issue not only to the state or nation level, but equally to the global level. First, the author took a stand to defend cosmopolitan values and principles overall and in more specific to defend the cosmopolitan theory. Second, he wants to put the three major challengers political theories, realism, nationalism, and society of state tradition under the assessment in order to generate more reflections and thoughts through different way of thinking about the ethical issue in the globe. In addition, as a Universalist, he is enthusiastic to collaborate with those challengers just in order to identify any invalid arguments from their perspective to generate more of alternative

Read More
1120 Words | 5 Pages

Correspondingly, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights depend on dignity, equality and mutual respect – regardless of your nationality, your religion or your beliefs. Your rights are tied in with being dealt with reasonably and treating others decently, and being able to make on decisions about your own life. These fundamental human rights are: Universal; They have a place with every one of us; They can't be detracted from us, Indivisible and independent Governments should not have the capacity to choose

Read More
1033 Words | 5 Pages

First of all, I would like to point the basic definition of God, egoism, and relativism. Ethic religious are the moral that set up like the banner for the faithful to follow and get aware what is acceptable actions or not. With Egoism ethic, this moral considers someone only focus on their benefits and ignore ones' demands. In relativism, it is a frame for goodness and wrongness. It would be considered flowing different reasons or standards.

Read More
1070 Words | 5 Pages

In this prompt the argument that Morality exists is irrelevant, contrary to our thoughts and beliefs. Everyone follows a set of moral rules. Ethical relativists disagree with this belief because, they believe that morals are distinctive from each individual culture. These relativists as described are mixing up moral and cultural distinctions, or are simply not willing to completely understanding the cultures they are standing up for. There are two different types of relativism Ethical, and Cultural, that rely upon the argument of cultural differences, which have flaws that make the argument unsound.

Read More
1020 Words | 5 Pages

Every society has its own unique cultures in which people will have different ideas of moral codes. The diversity of these cultures cannot be said to be correct or incorrect. Every society has independent standards of ethic within their society and these standards are culture-bound. Cultural Relativism has a perception in which rightness or wrongness of an action depends entirely within the bounds of the culture. This theory opposes the belief in the objectivity of moral truth.

Read More
2321 Words | 10 Pages

In other words, “right” or “wrong” are culture specific, what is considered moral in one society may be considered immoral in another, and, since no universal standard of morality that exist, no one has the right to judge another societies custom (Ess, 2009). Cultural Relativism is closely related to ethical relativism, which views truth as variable and not absolute. What makes up right and wrong is determined solely by individual or the society (Ess, 2009). Since the truth is not object, there can be no standards which applies to all cultures.

Read More
1217 Words | 5 Pages

He supports the idea that human rights are a result of society. This is because he viewed human rights claims and institutions as being “unique”. He argues that human rights in an institution specific to particular culture and historic context and is in fact a human construction. Waters does not believe that all human rights do not involve all made against the state. Human rights can only include claims that are recognised as fundamental to a political community’s member’s humanity in Waters’ opinion.

Read More
2439 Words | 10 Pages

Up until now, I have had very little cross-cultural experience in the course of my life. Beginning with the fact that both of my parents are Dutch and the fact that I grew up here, made me a fully Dutch citizen, both in terms of origin and education. I am born and raised in a small village in the Netherlands, called Bodegraven. My parents have not provided me with a cross-cultural background as they both grew up on Dutch farms. However, they took me on holidays to several countries in Europe and to Canada and America once.

Read More
2607 Words | 11 Pages

The Strength and Vulnerability of Different Moral Views Over centuries of fervent discussion in the moral world, there is still nothing like a consensus on a set of moral views. This essay attempts to outline and critically evaluate two moral views, namely ethical objectivism and cultural relativism. It is crucial to understand that both moral theories cannot be true at the same time as it results in contradictions, contributing to false beliefs. Additionally, it is essential that we discuss these issues with an open-mind so as to gain deeper insights from them. First and foremost, we will be looking at the prominent view of ethical objectivism.

Read More

More about Thesis On Cultural Relativism

Open Document