PAMANTASAN

NG LUNGSOD NG VALENZUELA
PROF. RUNNEL SANTOS BAGUIOET
MODULE: ETHICS



UNIT 2: ETHICS AND CULTURE

TOPICS TO BE COVERED

A. CULTURE AND OUR MORAL BEHAVIOR
B. FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE
C. CULTURAL RELATIVISM
D. MORAL RELATIVISM
E. CULTURAL TOLERANCE
F. FILIPINO WAY

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Articulate what culture means.
2. Attribute facets of personal behavior to culture.
3. Recognize and appreciate differences in moral behavior of different cultures.
4. Define cultural relativism and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses in making
moral decision

ETHICS AND CULTURE

QUESTION: HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR COMMUNITY INFLUENCES YOUR BEHAVIOR?
CULTURE AND OUR MORAL BEHAVIOR

On January 03, 2018, CNN reported that a Nigerian man posted graphic pictures on
Facebook showing children apparently going through genital mutilation (Adebayo, 2018).
The post caused an outrage from his fellow Nigerians, which pressured him to take down
his post, eventually apologizing for what he did.




The case of female genital mutilation (fgm) is not an entirely new practice in many African
countries. This is considered as a rite of passage to womanhood, in countries including
Kenya and Sierra Leone, while it is valued as a means of preserving a girl’s virginity until
marriage, in Sudan, Egypt, and Somalia (FGM Information, Historical and Cultural, n.d.).
Although there are already a lot of reports about this, in Nigeria for example, none had
been convicted for doing it even if it was already legally prohibited since 2015 (Adebayo,
2018).

Although culturally was, and in some communities, still being viewed as an acceptable
practice, multi-country study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in six
African countries, showed that women who had undergone FGM, had significantly
increased risks for adverse events during childbirth, and that an additional one to two
babies per 100 deliveries die as a result of the practice.



ETHICS AND CULTURE

One of the most difficult concepts in learning and understanding our moral behavior is the
idea of cultural relativism.
As culture and morality are intertwined, their inseparability in understanding our actions
makes it even more complicated since we ought to look at cultural lenses in figuring out
whether we arrived at making moral decisions or not.
Truthfully, we invoke the norms of our culture in deciding whether our choices mirror the
true, the good and the beautiful, or if it disgraces our cultural moral ideals. When the act is
acceptable, we do not usually challenge, much less, question it.

WHAT ARE NORMS?

Norms refer to social and cultural regulations and decrees that govern the everyday
activities of people, inclusive of its moral and ethical imperatives, customs and cultural
practices (Barker, 2004).




WHAT IS CULTURE?

Culture is defined as that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals,
law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of
society.

It is one big chuck of our society that dictates how we are supposed to act in varying
situations based on what is right and wrong, acceptable or not. As our actions and
perspectives are culturally constructed, so is our moral behavior. Since culture is the
totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and behavior
(Schaefer, 2013), it is only right to comprehend and appreciate its impact in the over-all
understanding of people of who they are and in their decision makings.

QUESTION: HOW DOES CULTURE DEFINE MORAL BEHAVIOR?

THE FILIPINO WAY

In the Philippines, one way at looking (at the problem of) morality is to reflect on the
prevailing norms of right and wrong among Filipinos. Gorospe lists the following as distinct
Filipino moral norms:


FILIPINO MORAL NORMS

ü Group-centeredness or group-think
ü The "Don't be caught" attitude based on shame or fear
of the authority figure
ü Complacency when one is aware but is not concerned
ü Rationalization

1. Group-centeredness or group-think. As Gorospe explained, what will others say" usually
determines Filipino moral behavior. He perfectly calls this as the Filipinos’ "conscience
from the outside."

2. The "Don't be caught" attitude based on shame or fear of the authority figure. Even if
there is already a national smoking ban in the country at present, there are still those who
disregard the law since they are not being caught by authorities anyway.

3. Complacency when one is aware but is not concerned. It is an open-secret that
corruption is rampant in the government. Even though we are aware of it, there are still a
lot of Filipinos who do not really mind about changing the status quo by invoking their
rights of suffrage, but are just so indifferent about it.

4. Rationalization. We have that instinct of justifying an act no matter how wrong it is.
Students do know for a fact that cheating is bad. Still and all, if they feel like it is the only
way to pass a course, then will rationalize the act and continue doing it until they achieve
their goal.


FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE

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.

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.

Culture unifies people in 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.

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 by the people.

IN A NUTSHELL

Our moral actions are embedded in the social structures provided by the traditions of old.
There is no way that we will decide without invoking our cultural moral biases.

How we talk, think, and tap daily judgments is definitely carved by what we were raised to
believe is morally acceptable or not.

CULTURAL RELATIVISM

One way of knowing which ethical views work in certain context is by understanding the
cultures of different people.

Though there are certain universals that everyone might agree upon, it has to be accepted
that the manifestations of these vary from culture to culture. Behaviors of people are very
much affected by the society they belong to. It is in the society that they learn what is right
or wrong, acceptable or not.

Communal groups have ways in which they show respect for people, for the law, for the
environment and what not. Cultural traditions have become the go to element if we are to
understand why people vary in their perspectives and their actions. In this regard, we
ought to recognize and appreciate differences in moral behaviors of people from varying
cultures.

It means viewing people’s behaviour from the perspective of their culture.
It places a priority on understanding the other cultures, rather than dismissing them as
“strange” or “exotic”.

WHAT IS CULTURAL RELATIVISM?

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). Thus, our morality can only be understood based on
what is culturally acceptable or not, in the society where we belong. 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).


















CASE IN POINT: CHEEK PIERCING IN THAILAND

In effect, cultural relativism results to, if not implies moral relativism which 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).

Thus, people are supposed to be understood from the perspective of the traditions that
they hold dear. No one has the right to intrude a society whose values are embedded in
their culture and tradition. It might be improper as well to teach them what to do and what
not to do on the basis of one’s belief as an outsider. As diversity is celebrated in cultural
relativism, so should due respect be given to people of all cultures, deferring judgments and
extending understanding to all, instead.

CULTURAL RELATIVISM VIS-À-VIS ETHNOCENTRISM

CULTURAL RELATIVISM DEBUNKS THE CONCEPT OF ETHNOCENTRISM

ETHNOCENTRISM is the practice of taking one’s own people, society and culture to be the
vantage point from which all else is viewed and judged (Bruce & Yearley, 2006).
Cultural relativism debunks the concept of ethnocentrism- an idea that has long haunted
men, in their attempt to answer which among cultural behavior should be the standard, if
there is any. It is in exact opposition to cultural relativism. People coming from first world
countries could be prone to ethnocentrism. Because of the idea that they are living in ideal,
powerful countries, there is a tendency that they might look down on other cultures which
are totally opposite of theirs.
Ethnocentric individuals are prone to misreading contexts, therefore, misjudging
individuals from other cultures. When the behavior of other people is understood based on
a prescribed singular tradition, they will be assumed as odd, creepy, other worldly, and
deem their actions as utterly wrong, if not unacceptable. Ethnocentrism leads to this
prejudgment of people. Kellenberger (2001), suggests that cultural relativism is the
antidote to this self-serving concept.

QUESTION: HOW DOES CULTURAL RELATIVISM PROMOTE EQUALITY?

XENOCENTRICISM

XENOCENTRISM is the belief that one’s own cultural features are a downgrade in
comparison to those of other cultures. Xenoxentric individuals value commodities, style,
culture or even ideas from another country or culture other than their own (Bell, 2017).

It is the belief that what is foreign is best in terms of one’s lifestyle, products or ideas.

It is the dislike of, or prejudice, against people from other countries.
Ex; hatred towards Chinese because of the covid-19 virus which originated from China



Cultural relativism although advantageous at some points could also be detrimental. It
empowers cultural tolerance while at the same time rejects moral absolutes.

QUESTION: HOW AND WHY IS CULTURAL RELATIVISM A THREAT TO MORALITY?

CULTURAL TOLERANCE

Cultural relativism should result to cultural tolerance in order to preserve the
distinctiveness of people regardless of whichever context they come from. Distinctiveness
and diversity should be celebrated because people are all different in many ways. With this
being said, the perpetuation of culture can only be possible through tolerance.

How people value certain traditions in their culture is very much a part of who they are.

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).

Nonetheless, this is not to say that we will turn a blind eye to some cultural practices which
are utterly inhuman. It is not right to use culture as an excuse to continue practices that
violate human rights. As multiculturalism celebrates differences, it should only tolerate
humanly tenable and acceptable practices, which value, and not endanger human life in
general. We should never be in agreement to practices which are devaluing human life.
However, there is a need for a thorough observation and understanding of the culture of
people. One has to be very careful in assessing whether a particular practice is a violation
of an individual’s right.
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. Jacobs (2002), explains that cultural
differences on its own makes a case for relativism. Although we are to respect diversity, it
should be realized that there are certain moral universals that should be considered and
upheld.

QUESTION: SHOULD CULTURAL DIVERSITY LEAD TO MORAL DIVERSITY? EXPLAIN YOUR
ANSWER.

SUMMARY

Although diversity of cultures is heavily encouraged, this should be exclusive of customs
and traditions which disrupt normal human functioning. 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.









WORKSHEET 2.1

1. How do you think your community influences your behavior?







2. How does culture define moral behavior?





3. Give one Filipino cultural practice that should never be tolerated and explain why.






4. How does cultural relativism promote moral relativism?






5. How does cultural relativism promote equality?










 6. Why is ethnocentrism something that should be avoided by everyone?






7. Why Filipinos more of xenocentrics than ethnocentircs?






8. How and why is cultural relativism a threat to morality?






9. Why can’t all cultural practices be always correct?






10. Should cultural diversity lead to moral diversity? Explain your answer.





11. Narrate your KWENTO NG KABUTIHAN for the past week