This topic contains a solution. Click here to go to the answer

Author Question: What was Ruth Benedict's position on cultural relativism? What was Benedict reacting against in ... (Read 194 times)

anshika

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 510
What was Ruth Benedict's position on cultural relativism?
 
  What was Benedict reacting against in advocating this position?

Question 2

What is attractive about ethical subjectivism?
 
  What is its biggest drawback?



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
Marked as best answer by a Subject Expert

wilsonbho

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 322
Answer to Question 1

- Cultural relativism: The view that cultural norms determine what is ethically right and wrong. Ethical subjectivism on a societal or cultural level.
- Ruth Benedict advocated cultural relativism and attempted to apply individual psychological concepts to whole groups. For Benedict, the term morality should be defined as socially approved customsnothing more, nothing less. There are no universal values that we can use to evaluate the moral values of any culture; there are only the moral values that each culture creates.
- Benedict (and other social scientists such as Emile Durkheim, Franz Boas, and William Graham Sumner) were reacting to what they perceived to be the cultural imperialism of the Westthe assumption by some that the moral values of Western Europe and America were morally superior to the moral values of more primitive cultures.

Answer to Question 2

- Ethical subjectivism: The view that the ultimate moral authority is the individual or the subject.
- Attractions include feeling independent, romantic notions of being true to yourself, and the feeling of being tolerant and open-minded (i.e. live and let live).
- Downfall: Ethical subjectivism does not guarantee tolerant acceptance of the rights and interests of others.





 

Did you know?

A cataract is a clouding of the eyes' natural lens. As we age, some clouding of the lens may occur. The first sign of a cataract is usually blurry vision. Although glasses and other visual aids may at first help a person with cataracts, surgery may become inevitable. Cataract surgery is very successful in restoring vision, and it is the most frequently performed surgery in the United States.

Did you know?

Recent studies have shown that the number of medication errors increases in relation to the number of orders that are verified per pharmacist, per work shift.

Did you know?

Your heart beats over 36 million times a year.

Did you know?

Cytomegalovirus affects nearly the same amount of newborns every year as Down syndrome.

Did you know?

By definition, when a medication is administered intravenously, its bioavailability is 100%.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library