The philosophical explanations of truth, false, moral, or immoral attract various reactions as philosophers conclude that what is right or wrong, good or bad, is defined by several surrounding factors. Philosophers argue that relevance of ethics, values, and morals practiced by an individual or a community are relative to the perceptions and beliefs of the individual or the community towards the practices. The theory of relativism, therefore, implies that good and evil, moral and immoral, just and unjust, are defined relative to ones or communal perceptions and beliefs. There are two theories of relativism which include, cultural relativism and subjective relativism theories. The paper will feature both theories and their relevance in justifying reason.
Cultural Relativism
Culture refers to traditional norms that have been accepted by a community. Culture is a collection of the ideologies, beliefs, and customary norms that define the social conduct of members of a certain community. A culture is a tool that shapes the thinking and perceptions of the people practicing it. Cultural relativism, therefore, refers to the use of use culture in defining and justifying reasons (Fung, 2017). The theory of cultural relativism argues that the definition of truth or false, right or wrong, moral or immoral, good or evil will depend on the cultural justification on the same. What is wrong in one culture could be right in another culture.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Example 1 of Cultural Relativism Theory
The killing of fellow human beings is widely viewed as immoral and evil. To many people, basic human decency does not allow the killing of fellow humans; rather, it calls for respect for human life. However, the Korowai tribe in Papua New Guinea accepts the killing of humans as a moral practice. The Korowai culture prescribes brutal murder for individuals who are suspected to be a witch or sorcerers. The definition of murder to the Korowai tribe depends on whether an individual is a witch or not (Fung, 2017). For the Korowai tribe, respect for human life informed by the culture depending on one's assumed righteousness.
Example 2 of Cultural Relativism Theory
The United States and European countries are famous for producing exotic fashions of wear. Citizens of these countries feel free to dress in any manner that they feel is justified to them. A lady in Miami, Florida, would be very comfortable walking in the streets in a bikini to enjoy the sunshine because the culture practiced there allows such practices. However, the situation is different in Saudi Arabia. The dress codes that apply for the people of Saudi Arabia are veils called Hijab that covers the whole body. The reason for this phenomenon is cultural relativism. The culture in Miami, Florida, allows the wearing of bikini clothes while in Saudi Arabia, wearing a bikini would attract severe punishments to an Islamic woman.
My Opinion on Cultural Relativism Theory
I perceive the cultural relativism concept as being irrelevant and oppressive to the liberty of people. The use of culture to define what is good or bad for an individual is a selfish action. Cultural relativism subjects the subjects of the culture to unnecessary mental slavery (Baghramian & Coliva, 2019). I feel that cultural relativism suffocates the ability of humans to think liberally as a philosophical being.
Subjective Relativism Philosophy
The concept of subject relativism accords the responsibility of defining and justifying reason to a person. Subjective relativism theory explains that individuals might differ in other individuals or cultures on the definition of ethics, morals, and justice. What a culture defines as moral or ethical might be perceived by an individual as immoral or unethical (King, 2017). This concept explains that the justification for wrong and right, good and bad, ethical, and unethical depends on the cognitive perceptions of an individual.
Example 1 of the Subjective Relativism
The Jewish culture requires that male born children are circumcised a few days after birth. The Jewish culture perceives such practice as divine and that it symbolizes good conduct among parents. A Jewish practicing individual might have a different perception of the issues. An individual might choose not to circumcise his/her son at such an early age because he/she perceives it unhealthy and a risk to the wellness of the child (King, 2017). The subjective relativism concept justifies the act of the individual because the responsibility of defining and justifying reasons is left to a person.
Example 2 of the Subjective Relativism
For a long period, interracial marriages have faced objections from various cultures on the bases of religion. In a normal context, a Christian African would not easily marry an Iranian Islam because of the bases of religion and culture despite any affectional feelings that both partners could share. However, the phenomenon could be possible depending on the cognitive perception and beliefs of the two lovers towards the issue (King, 2017). According to the subjective relativism concept, the marriage could be legitimate and justified depending on the belief and cognitive subscription of the two partners.
My Opinion on Subjective Relativism Philosophy
I am persuaded that the concept of subjective relativism is relevant for usage in the contemporary world. The philosophy allows persons to make decisions that affect their lives and therefore giving the people a chance to have control of their lives (Baghramian & Coliva, 2019). Subjective relativism theory would allow people to spend their lives happily and define their destinies as they would wish.
References
Baghramian, M., & Coliva, A. (2019). Relativism. Routledge.
Fung, C. N. (2017). A polysystemist's response to prescriptive cultural relativism and postcolonialism. Across Languages and Cultures, 18(1), 133-154.
King, P. (2017). Relativism, subjectivity and the self: a critique of social constructionism. In Social constructionism in housing research (pp. 32-48). Routledge.
