Cultural Relativism Vs. Moral Reform

Cultural Relativism vs. Moral Reform

Robert Forbes

SOC 120

Instructor Ashraf Esmail

November 5, 2012

Cultural Relativism vs. Moral Reform

In Lenn E. Goodman's report on Universal Justice in a Diverse World, the most profound statement he makes "Not every compromise is praiseworthy or even tolerable" (p.1). With this statement, how can one even consider that "universal relativism" is possible? Who can benefit from a form of cultural or social conformity? Ethical relativism is a theory that states that morality and relativity is the normality of one's social practice or culture. However, what one considers morally right in one culture can be morally wrong in another. The ethical relativist believes there are no universal moral standards, only moral standards against a culture or society that is judged on its own. The biggest argument of course, is when cultural rights become moral issues. When the choices of cultural relativism and defending human rights are in debate the world should stand on ethical and moral principles of human rights.

As a known fact and as research shows, it is hard to find an agreeable point of when cultural practices become violations of human rights. When we take the studies of Goodman and statements like "The fact is, we humans and the societies we constitute can be wrong, unjust, vicious - hugely or trivially, tragically or self-deceivingly" (p 2). Terrorism, Genocide, Rape, and human mutilation just to name a few of the atrocities, bring a moral conviction to most all of American culture. Goodman also states on (p. 2) "Warfare is not always wrong; it may be necessary to protect such subjects." However, when the issues of mass destruction are brought into play, where does morality fit into such an atrocity? Being a nation guided by moral and religious ethics to regard murder an act of crime against humanity, how do we become insensitive to things that are out of our cultural normalcy? What authority do we have to impose a concept of universal moral rights to "different parts of the" world? The "United States" is a country expressing human dignity, and can and should push the issue of "Moral Reform" to a

Cultural Relativism vs. Moral Reform

country without regard to human rights. "Even if a majority