Moral Codes

"We can come to understand that our feelings are not necessarily perceptions of the truth-they may be nothing more than the result of cultural conditioning." In The Challenge of Cultural Relativism, James Rachel provides readers with the idea of cultural relativism which is the principle that an individual human's beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual's own culture. We see this idea reflected in Beowulf and their moral codes. They value honor, fame, courage, and an ancestral lineage. Other cultures might not view these values as something of significance or something to die for. Different cultures have different morals and principles, we continue to have an ongoing debate on what can be considered right or wrong and by whose definition it is to be established.

            It's difficult to decide on what can be considered the "right way", we all have our perspectives, and some seem more flamboyant than others. "Eating your dead father’s body"? That would not be something I could even mentally digest. In Beowulf for example you had to retain several traditions and for go battles in order to gain honor. In today's culture in the United States, to some that would seem an exceptionally foolhardy thing to try to accomplish as your life's mission, but the principle of it is the same, people seek fame and honor, and the undergo several obstacles to achieve it. We maintain traditions and ways of living to reach an ultimate goal even if it is not the same as other cultures.

            The idea of Cultural Relativism is something that when taken in theory does seem to provide a better "insight" on other cultures. At first I did see sense in the morality perspectives of cultures, but when I weighed in the consequences that Rachel stated, I came to the conclusion that we will always have differing cultures and views, we cannot decide what is right or wrong, especially when most of us will uncertainly base it on the culture we were brought into, it blinds us from all other alternatives.