What are some advantages of cultural relatism?

The strengths of cultural relativism

Now that we have looked at the central claims of cultural relativism with an analytical eye, let's turn to considering its strengths explicitly.

· It encourages respect and tolerance for all cultures and societies

· By extension, it advocates for equality among and between cultures

· It encourages a sense of unity within a culture by maintaining that all are bound by the same rules

· It provides an appropriate set of "rules" for all within that culture to obey and for outsiders to conform to, once they step within the bounds of that culture

· It warns us against assuming that all of our own cultural practices are based on some "absolute rational standard".(Rachels, p 30)

· It stresses the benefits of keeping an open mind and not rushing to judgment.

The weaknesses of cultural relativism

Are there weaknesses within cultural relativism as well? Probably.

It has been argued that the weaknesses of cultural relativism include:

· By accepting that all cultures are equal and none are superior or inferior, we prevent people from protesting against harmful practices either inside or outside their own societies.

Some examples include:

o The Chinese who argued against their own government in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989

o The Americans who protested against their own country's involvement in the Vietnam War and

o The Poles of the Solidarity movement who argued against their government's closing of the shipyards in Gdansk.

If we accept that a culture is right for all its members, these protesters would have had no moral or ethical principles to support their calls for justice.

Few people would however accept this line of reasoning and many applaud the bravery of those who protested and, in the Tiananmen Square uprising in particular, lost their lives.

· Negating the idea of moral progress

Societies evolve, adapt and adjust, often in search of more fairness and justice for all.

Because some analytical and critical thinkers saw that slavery, racism and colonisation were not in the best interests of all and were actively doing harm to some members of society, these practices have been increasingly abolished or at least discouraged throughout the 20th century.

Most would agree that these changes have benefited societies and humanity. However, such changes would not have been encouraged or achieved if a narrow view of cultural relativism had prevailed.