Cultural Relativism & Morality: Comparing Rachels & Benedict - Essay Sample

Introduction

James Rachels and Ruth Benedict both offer important insights on the issue of cultural relativism and morality. Rachels does not support cultural relativism and he views cultures as sharing common values. Benedict supports cultural relativism and she states hat moral values vary from culture to culture depending on the definition of appropriate behavior within individual societies. My position regarding Gray's thesis is that both Rachels and Benedict have valid arguments and they equally have flaws in their perspectives. I will therefore take the middle ground and provide reasons as to why Gray's thesis is accurate to some extent, and inaccurate in other respects. I neither support nor disagree with Gray's thesis.

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Why Gray's Thesis is Accurate

The first reason why Gray's thesis is accurate as explained by Rachels is that most cultures share some common values which makes them objective. For instance, he explains that in ancient times, the Callatians preferred cannibalization to dispose of the dead while the Greeks preferred cremation (Rachels, 2011). Even though both cultures used different methods, they both shared the common value of seeking ways to dispose of dead members. Their shared commonality is the desire to find closure for the families of the dead members within their society. Even though both used different methods, none felt that the other group was better at dealing with death. It is therefore wrong to perceive the cultural differences in dealing with the same issues in society as cultural relativism. Moreover, cultures are objective as they share similar values even though they may practice such values differently.

Another reason why Gray's thesis is accurate is explained by Plato's critique of cultural relativism. Plato viewed this concept as having a flawed logic since it refutes itself. If cultural relativism holds that standards and values are subjective and depend on the cultural perspectives that members of a society possess, then by the same logic, then members should also have the freedom to view cultural relativism as false. This means that the cultural relativism argument undermines itself by creating the freedom to interpret morality based on one's culture. People can apply the same freedom and use their culture to interpret cultural relativism as false. It is therefore illogical to embrace cultural relativism since it undermines its own argument.

It is equally important to highlight the fundamental flaw in Gray's thesis. Rachels argues that there are commonalities in values across cultures, which makes them objective. However, he ignores Benedict's main argument that there are indeed major differences in the perception of morality across cultures. An example that can be applied in the modern society is that some western countries, various states in the United States, condone homosexuality and have passed legislations that allow homosexual couples to get married. In other conservative cultures, including those in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, homosexuality is illegal and punishable under law. This example shows that there are fundamental differences in the perception of homosexuality and its morality within cultures, and actions that are viewed as moral in one culture, can be immoral in other cultures.

Why Gray’s Thesis Is Flawed

One of the reasons why Gray's thesis is flawed, as Benedict explains, is that different cultures have diverse moral values, and actions that may be viewed as moral in one culture, may be deemed to be immoral in other cultures. Benedict (1934) also uses the example on homosexuality to advance her argument on the existence of cultural relativism, and it is clear that morality is a subjective concept that varies from culture to culture. There are numerous examples in the contemporary world that support this view and they relate to controversial issues such as the legalization of marijuana use, capital punishment, and abortion, among others. In each of these issues, some cultures permit it while others do not allow it. The fact that different societies have diverse interpretations of the same moral issues proves that cultural relativity exists and the concept of morality is subjective.

Benedict (1934) also undermines Gray's thesis by explaining that if normal members of one culture were to be taken to an environment with a different culture, they would be considered to be abnormal. She gives an example of an island in Melanesia where the belief in poisoning is so rampant that women cannot leave their cooking pots unattended for fear of being poisoned. People in this society could not work together or share things with each other. However, one of the members of this society was a man deemed to be abnormal and mad since he was passionate about being working and being helpful. The man embraced Christian virtues but was considered to be crazy. If such a man was transplanted into a culture such as the United States, he would have been deemed to be normal. Cultural relativism therefore exists and it has the potential of turning perceived 'abnormal' members of society into 'normal' members, across cultures.

However, it is equally important to analyze the accuracy in Gray's thesis and expose the flaw in Benedict's argument. The argument by Benedict ignores the commonalities in value systems across diverse cultures that undermine the concept of cultural relativism. In the modern world for instance, there are universal principles that are common in majority cultures. For instance, respect for human life and human dignity are values which most global cultures support, regardless of their geo-location. The fact that different cultures have converged towards common values gives credence to Gray's thesis and undermines Benedict's views on cultural relativism.

Conclusion

In summary, Gray's thesis is both valid and invalid since it contains some aspects of truth, yet some elements of inaccuracy. Rachels supports the thesis and claims that morality is objective across cultures, and therefore Benedict's argument on cultural relativism is inaccurate. Gray's thesis is accurate based on the fact that many cultures share common values, even though such values may be practiced differently. Additionally, Plato supports Gray's thesis and argues that the concept of cultural relativism is illogical since it undermines itself by giving people the freedom to view it as false.

Gray's thesis is also inaccurate based on Benedict's views on substantial differences in moral values across some cultures, as some moral acts within one culture are deemed to be immoral in others. She illustrates the Melanesia culture where a member who is perceived to be abnormal would be perfectly normal if he was transplanted to a culture such as the United States. However, she also suffers from a fatal flaw of ignoring universal moral codes, such as respect for human life, that are inherent in most cultures. Based on the analysis of the arguments by Benedict and Rachels, it is clear that Gray's thesis is neither accurate nor inaccurate since it possesses some truths and at the same time, some fundamental flaws.

References

Benedict, R. (1934). A Defense of Ethical Relativism. Journal of General Psychology, 10. Retrieved from http://public.callutheran.edu/~chenxi/Phil315_031.pdf

Rachels, J. (2011). The Elements of Moral Philosophy (7th Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill Education.