Not Wrong, Just Different

James Rachels’s article The Challenge of Cultural Relativism, discusses the importance of cultural relativism in society. Cultural relativism relates to the fact that different cultures have different beliefs and customs. Just because a way of life or an idea is foreign to you, does not mean it is wrong, just different. “If we assume that our ideas of right and wrong will be shared by all peoples at all times, we are merely naïve.”

An example Rachels uses is the fact that in the Eskimo society, marriage was not revered the way it is in our American society today. Men were able to have more than one wife, with each wife being permitted to have relations with other men. This relates to Okonkwo’s having multiple wives in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. The tradition of having multiple spouses is foreign to many American families, but in the time period in which the characters in Things Fall Apart lived, it was perfectly normal, just like in the Eskimo society. “The moral code of a society determines what is right within that 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,” says Rachels.

In his article, Rachels brings up the point that, “we may have been taught that homosexuality is immoral and we may feel quite uncomfortable around gay people and see them as alien and ‘different.’” American culture was once so opposed to homosexual behavior and same-sex marriage. The reason for this may have simply been because same-sex marriage is something the people weren’t familiar with, and didn’t understand. It is important for people to remember that just because a way of life is different from what you are used to does not make it wrong. Today, many American people are taking the positive step of becoming more accepting, and many states have either allowed or are moving towards allowing same-sex marriage.

 

 

 

“Morality differs in every society, and is a convenient term for socially approved habits.” – Ruth Benedict