Binalonan, Pangasinan

1st Semester | A.Y. 2020-2021

Module 4
Culture in Moral Behavior

Course Title: Ethics

Course Code: GE 8

Name: ___________________________________
Course and Year: __________________________
Date and Time Allotment: ____________________

Introduction
This module entitled Culture in Moral Behavior will discuss and scrutinize the enormous significance of
culture in understanding the moral actions of people. We will look at the contextual difference of societies and how
these affect the moral behavior of individuals inclusive therein. In the process, we will look at the concept of cultural
relativism, ultimately examining, and evaluating both its strengths and weaknesses as more and more people invoke
it as their final arbiter in making moral judgments.

I. Objectives:
In this module, you will:
1. Be able to articulate what culture means;
2. Be able to recognize and appreciate differences in moral behavior of different cultures; and;
3. Be able to define cultural relativism and evaluate its strengths and weakness in making moral
decision;

II. Lecture and Discussions of the lesson/s

Introduction
Have you ever visited a place you find so strange that you feel like the actions of the people there
are wrong if not downright offensive? Did you ask any of them why they do what they do? If you just walked
away from that situation without trying to understand their decisions, then most probably, you ended up
becoming judgmental of them instead of trying to understand where they are coming from, their norms, and
their values included.

What is Culture?
 Is defined as that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, moral, law, customs, and any
other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society (Burke, 2008).
 The totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and behavior
(Schaefer, 2013).
 The distinctive way of life of a people, whatever that might be.

Functions of Culture
Here are some of the functions of culture which are significant in understanding our moral
behavior:
1. Culture provides identity to the people in the society. This is what separates communal groups
from each other. They are known by their distinct traditions and beliefs that they hold dear.
2. Culture mirrors the laws of the land. Laws in one society is born out of the norms which are the
socially acceptable behavioral patterns in the community. These norms are held with supreme
importance, and so the people make sure that they are systematized and followed by all. Going against
these laws are punishable in most, if not all cases.
3. Culture unifies people in many ways that only those who belong in that society understands. It
is always what the communal group invokes in matters of decisions, practices, and traditions.
4. Culture influences our concept of morality. Culture provides the rules of the games in the society
through our cultural norms. It is very much prescriptive of what is morally right or wrong, what is
respectful and not, affecting our patterns of behavior. It is the culture that molds, if not dictates, the
values that should be adhered to the people.
Cultural Relativism
 Is the view that moral beliefs and practices vary with and depend on the human needs and social
conditions of particular cultures (Holmes, 2007).
This definition is entirely based on the premise that there can be no “universal oughts”, and that
there is no culture that can be the basis of all that is good and true. It is important to recognize the
vitality of cultural differences since ethical judgments are relative to cultural contexts (Fiala &
Mackinnon, 2013).

 Cultural relativism then should be understood as a celebration and appreciation of cultural diversity
(Kellenberger, 2011).
This diversity could be manifested in the way we dress, the way we talk to the elderly, and even in
our beliefs in the supernatural. It is important to underscore as well the important historical role of
cultural relativism in encouraging cross-cultural understanding and contributing to an expansion of
human freedom (Brown, 2008).

Cultural Relativism

Ethical Relativism
 Ethical relativism or moral relativism maintains that different societies (and ages) hold distinct systems
of morality and that there are no objective, and transcultural criteria for judging between these systems
(Herder as cited in Sikka, 2011).
 Ethical or moral values and beliefs are relative to the various individuals or societies that hold them.
There is no objective right and wrong.

Two Forms of Ethical Relativism

1. Personal or Individual Ethical Relativism
 Ethical judgments and beliefs are the expressions of the moral outlook and attitudes of individual
persons.
 There is no objective standard of right and wrong inasmuch as the individual person is the basis
of moral judgment.
 Any person has no right to say that others are correct or incorrect.

*An ethical relativist may say “I have my own view and you have yours, neither my view nor yours
is better or more correct.”

Example: Senicide or Geronticide – abandonment to death or killing of the elderly

 During famines or other extremely difficult situations, the Inuit or the indigenous people of Northern
America would leave their elderly on the ice to die.

*The individual relativist would say that, “no one especially the outsider of this culture has the right
to say that the Inuit are wrong because the morality of such action depends entirely on the
individual Inuit beliefs.

2. Social or Cultural Ethical Relativism

 Ethical values and beliefs vary from society to society; the basis of moral judgment lies in these
social or cultural views.

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  No society’s view is better than any other in a transcultural sense.
 No society has the right to say that particular culture of a certain society is wrong.

Example: The ancient Indian practice of Sati or Suttee – a practice of burning the wife alive in the funeral
pyre of her deceased husband.

Three possible reasons that support Ethical Relativism:

1. Diversity of moral values. Presence of disagreement on many ethical issues or even on basic moral
values.
2. Moral uncertainty. There is great difficulty in knowing what is the morally right thing to do or believe.
3. Situational differences. Situations and life of different people vary so much.
Point: We cannot attain objective truth. Hence, what is right or wrong for one may not be
necessarily right or wrong for another.

Cultural Relativism: Its Strength and Weaknesses

Cultural relativism although advantageous at some points could also be detrimental. It empowers
cultural tolerance while at the same time rejects moral absolutes. Below are the strengths and the dangers
of cultural relativism:

Strengths Weaknesses
1. What is considered morally right and 1. Cultural relativism might fall prey into the idea that
wrong should be judged based on cultural universal standards do not exist. There are certain
contexts. The culture of people becomes the universal oughts that cannot be culturally compromised.
final arbiter of the morality of an individual act. Human rights precede societal practices, particularly
The idea of “to each his own” exemplifies this those that impede our growth as individuals, and as
concept. human beings as whole. Cultural relativism is not tenable
in ethics since ethical values invoke universal absolutes
which it categorically dismisses.
2. Cultural Relativism is an answer to 2. If universal standards do not exist, so thus
cultural annihilation. If one culture is to be the morality. The concept of what is morally right and wrong
final basis of morality, then it would stimulate if fades into the background of cultural relativism. As such,
not encourage the annihilation of all other people who invoke cultural relativism are free to do
cultures which are considered inferior to it. whatever they want.
3. Cultural relativism promotes multi- 3. Cultural relativism gives birth to ethical relativism,
culturalism. It fosters diversity of cultures and which veers away from the idea that there are
keeps individuals from being ethnocentric. The objective moral standards. With this, people are
distinctiveness of culture is supposed to be ethically wrong by all standards except by their culture,
celebrated and not looked down by people. can invoke cultural relativism to justify their act. If we
Thus, cultural relativism dismisses invoke cultural relativism, then we refrain ourselves from
discrimination and finds everyone in the world criticizing other cultures, no matter how evil some of their
as our co-equals practices might be, the same way that we overlook our
own culture. (Rachels, 2003).

Cultural Tolerance
 Cultural relativism should result to cultural tolerance in order to preserve the
distinctiveness of people regardless of whichever context they come from.
 Though cultural tolerance is highly encouraged, it would not mean that we are to compromise
human life and all the universal rights associated with it. A particular culture cannot invoke
cultural relativism at all times.
 Cultural sensitivity is the key to cultural tolerance. It is being aware that cultural differences
and similarities between people exist without assigning them a value – positive or negative,
better or worse, right or wrong (Dabbah, 2014).

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 Summary
Although diversity of cultures is heavily encouraged, this should be exclusive of customs and
traditions which disrupt normal human functioning. There still are moral absolutes which precedes cultural
norms. On the other hand, as we become aware of moral standards, we need to carefully examine
ourselves as well. Since we are all a product of our own culture, our societal norms have always been the
basis of our everyday decisions. However, we must be very cautious that our norms do not clash with
universal values that cater to championing human life and dignity. Hence, it is crucial that we be reminded
that cultural relativism should not, in any way, be used as an excuse to continue cultural practices which
categorically impede, if not violate, human rights.

Study Questions
1. What is Culture?
2. What are the Functions of Culture?
3. What is Cultural Relativism?
4. What is Ethical Relativism?
5. What are the three possible reasons that support Ethical Relativism?

III. Other References

1. Palean E. D., Nazario M. D., Descartin I. L., Mendoza B. S., Valero, J.G., “Ethics: Exploring Moral
Philosophy”, Books Atbp. Publishing Corp., 2019
2. Pasco M. O., Suàrez V. F., Rodriguez A. G., “Ethics” C&E Publishing, Inc., 2018
3. Bulaong O., Calano M., Lagliva A., Mariano M., Principe J., “Ethics: Foundation of Moral
Valuation”, 1st edition, REX Book Store, 2018
4. https://philonotes.com/what-is-ethical-relativism. (Accessed August 23, 2020.)

Prepared by:

REZZIE P. MENSALVAS
Faculty, CTE