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Cultural Relativism In America

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Cultural relativism -“the principle of regarding the beliefs, values, and practices of a culture from the viewpoint of that culture itself". Cultural Relativism relies on the hypothesis that ethical frameworks, which differ throughout the world, are all plausible in their own individual right .If you buy into the thought of cultural relativism, one tends to suspend judgment of other societies controversial rituals and practices. Thus to ‘completely accept” all customs must blur our perception of right and wrong. I will explore cultural relativism alongside the morality behind the gun control laws in the United States of America (USA), in conjunction with the concept of arranged marriage specific to India, and ultimately come to a clear conclusion …show more content…

? The basis for Americas gun policy is due to the second amendment to the United States constitution, it's states " a well regulated Millitia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed". This apparently “integral” part of their society begs to the statistic of more deaths to Americans than terrorism since nine eleven. From an anthropological point of view I cannot abstain all judgment upon this matter and consequently deny the concept of cultural relativism in this event. When looking for evidence that our judgment is swayed, one simply has to look at the tremendous debate across the world. Surely this suggest “blurred lines”. Nevertheless I may have a strong “British bias” and perhaps don’t understand the right to own a firearm for self-protection In this instance my impression of gun control laws show me that they have become so profoundly embedded in American values, the judgment between “right and wrong” has been distorted, thus supporting the statement. Nevertheless does this concept still apply among another …show more content…

However, it has been custom in parts of India for centuries. Arranged marriages are the process of a third party, usually family, selecting a suitable partner to partake in marriage. Naturally uncommon and “bizarre” to anyone from a western society. Nevertheless when looking at empirical studies it does sway my western bias. One study compared American and Indian arranged marriages. The conclusions were at first American couples were a lot happier. In this case the concept of free will is the issue. To accept this practice does not sway judgments upon right and wrong to a point. However the fact that the marriage is “arranged” not chosen questions the concept of free will. In turn this scenario disagrees with the statement to some

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