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3. Every person born in a particular culture is an
embodiment of his or her particular culture.
From this, we can confidently say that culture
is the basis of one’s behavior, on which the
moral fabric of an individual is patterned.
People act, think and live according to the
culture in which they are part of. And nobody is
culture-free as we are always part of a society
as succinctly expressed by the definition.
3
9. “Different cultures have different
moral codes”
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10. Cultural Relativism, as it has been called, challenges our ordinary belief in the
objectivity and universality of moral truth. It says, in effect, that there is no such
thing as universal truth in ethics; there are only the various cultural codes, and
nothing more. Moreover, our own code has no special status; it is merely one
among many. As a beginning, we may distinguish the following claims, all of
which have been made by cultural relativists:
1.Different societies have different moral codes.
2. There is no objective standard that can be used to judge one societal code
better than another.
3. The moral code of our own society has no special status; it is one among
many.
4. There is no “universal truth” in ethics; that is, there are no moral truths that
hold for all people at all times.
5. The moral code of a society determines what is right within society; that is, if
the moral code of a society says that a certain action is right, then that action is
right, at least within that society.
6. It is mere arrogance for us to try to judge the conduct of other peoples. We
should adopt an attitude of tolerance toward the practices of other cultures.
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11. 1.
2.
3 / 1 / 2 0 X X S A M P L E F O O T E R T E X T 1 1
12. 1.
2.
3 / 1 / 2 0 X X S A M P L E F O O T E R T E X T 1 2
13.
3 / 1 / 2 0 X X S A M P L E F O O T E R T E X T 1 3
14. Do all cultures have
common?
3 / 1 / 2 0 X X S A M P L E F O O T E R T E X T 1 4
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16. There is a general theoretical point here,
namely, that there are some moral rules
that all societies will have in common,
because those rules are necessary for
society to exist. The rules against lying
and murder are two examples. And in
fact, we do find these rules in force in all
viable cultures. Culture may differ in what
they regard as legitimate exceptions to
the rules, but this disagreement exists
against a background of agreement on
the larger issues. Therefore, it is a
mistake to overestimate the amount of
difference between cultures. Not every
moral rule can vary from society to
society.
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28. Universal values are a set of
core principles or beliefs
that are shared by people
across different cultures,
societies, and historical
periods. These values often
serve as the foundation for
moral and ethical
judgments, helping
individuals differentiate
between right and wrong,
good and bad
29. Bell (1994) argued that without some universal
standards, “we are left with no way to condemn
cannibalism, physical torture, mutilation, wife beating,
child abuse, slavery, murder, or genocide if they are part
of the habitual practice and cultural traditions of a group.
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30. 3 / 1 / 2 0 X X S A M P L E F O O T E R T E X T 3 0
31. 3 / 1 / 2 0 X X S A M P L E F O O T E R T E X T 3 1