Culture

Relativism of
Ethnocentrism
 Cultural Relativism
OIs the view that no culture is
superior to any other culture
when comparing systems of
morality, law, politics, etc. It's the
philosophical notion that all
cultural beliefs are equally valid
and that truth itself is relative,
depending on the cultural
environment.
 Cultural Relativism
O Is the principle of regarding the beliefs, values, and
practices of a culture from the viewpoint of that
culture itself. Originating in the work of Franz Boas
in the early 20th century, cultural relativism has
greatly influenced social sciences such as
anthropology. In sociology, the principle is sometimes
practiced to avoid cultural bias in research, as well as
to avoid judging another culture by the standards of
one's own culture. For this reason, cultural relativism
has been considered an attempt to avoid
ethnocentrism. Cultural relativism is related to but
often distinguished from moral relativism, the view
that morality is relative to a standard, especially a
cultural standard.
O Cultural relativism is the view that individual
beliefs and values systems are culturally
relative. That is, no one ethnic group has the
right to say that their particular system of
beliefs and values, theirworldview,is in any
way superior to anyone elses system of beliefs
and values. Whats right for one culture might
be wrong for another and thats alright. There
is no absolute standard of right and wrong by
which to compare and contrast morally
contradictory cultural values.
 Ethnocentrism
O is judging another culture solely by the values
and standards of one's own
culture.Ethnocentric individuals judge other
groups relative to their own ethnic group or
culture, especially with concern forlanguage,
behavior, customs, andreligion. These ethnic
distinctions and subdivisions serve to define
eachethnicity's uniquecultural identity.

O Ethnocentrism may be overt or subtle, and

while it is considered a natural proclivity of
human psychology, it has developed a generally
negative connotation.
 Ethnocentrism
O Ethnocentrism is the view that one
particular ethnic group is somehow
superior to all others. The
wordethnocentrismderives from the
Greek wordethnos,meaning
nation or people, and the English
wordcenter.A common idiom for
ethnocentrism is tunnel vision. In
this context, ethnocentrism is the
view that a particular ethnic groups
system of beliefs and values is
morally superior to all others.
O Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism
are mutually exclusive. They are two
extremes on the opposite sides of a
philosophical spectrum. Is there a biblical
alternative to these two extremes? There is.
There is a third extreme. Theocentrism is
the view that God is superior to everyone
else. The wordtheocentrismderives from
the Greek wordtheos,meaning God or
gods, and the English wordcenter.In this
context, theocentrism refers to the view that
Gods system of beliefs and values is morally
superior to all others. It is perfect. Its the
absolute standard by which we are to judge
everyone elses system of beliefs and
values.
O Theocentrism is similar to
ethnocentrism in that it posits the
existence of an absolute value
system. In this way, theocentrism
contradicts cultural relativism in that
cultural relativism denies an
absolute standard. Theocentrism is
not however entirely compatible with
ethnocentrism in that theocentrism
is God centered rather than man
centered.
The difference between Culture
Relativism and Ethnocentrism
O Cultural relativism is the positive
attitude or concept while
O Ethnocentrism is the negative side.
O Cultural relativism is showing a sense
of understanding for different cultures
and treating the uniqueness of these
cultures with utmost respect.
O Ethnocentrism is the belief that your
culture is right or the best.