Running Head: Myths And Values

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Myths and Values Student’s Name Institution Dates Myths and values Cultural Relativism Introduction Relativism is the idea that claims that truth is a conditioned notion that does not go behold cultural boundaries. This idea came to existence since the Greek era about 2400 years ago. I chose this topic because its cultural relativism has a wrong claim that each culture has its own equal and distinct valid modes of thought, perception as well as a choice. The truth is that moral truth is universal and objective. It is not right to maintain that man’s opinion in a given society will define what is wrong and right.

This work is meant to look at the importance of multiculturalism in the whole world. This will facilitate curbing of virtues such as racism, political correctness, and postmodernism (Donnelly, 1984). It will as well do away the philosophy of social engineering that tends to show western culture as the most superior when compared with other cultures. Cultural Relativism is a mistaken idea claiming that there are no objective standards to judge our society because each culture has its accepted practices and beliefs. It is a wrong idea because no one can reflect the intolerance of society reflecting its indigenous world overview.

There is no objective truth about every person at every time. No one moral code that is worse than or better than any other. Following cultural relativism is like objecting to Hitler and Nazism, South Africa’s Apartheid, Genital mutilation in African young girls, Mayan infant sacrifices. This is because each of these practices was justified by the worldview of the society in which they were practiced. By accepting cultural relativism, we would be prevented from criticizing our cultural practices like slavery because our culture recognized them at that time.

There would also be no need for, or argument for, social progress (Teson, 1984). This would deter societal development. Racism, Multiculturalism, deconstructionism, social engineering, and political correctness are the descendants of cultural relativism. Multiculturalism The central idea of multiculturalism is that there is no culture that has higher values than the other. Multiculturalism, which is a politicked form of cultural relativism, does not accept the idea that there are general truths, rules or norms with respect to both morals and standards (Steinberg, 2009).

Enlightenment beliefs in objectivity, principles of freedom and reason and evidence that equally apply to all are time gone. Multiculturalism dismisses the world overview of Eurocentric Western perspective that is based on the contributions of the white males that are dead. It also rejects the western civilization significance because it claims that the western traditions are mostly racism, elitism and sexism thus they cause most of the current problems (Donnelly, 1984). On the other hand, it accepts the Romantic view of nature as being beneficent and benign before it was corrupted by western ideology that were flawed as well as western culture. According to multiculturalism, ethnicity, race and sex have a significant effect on the way people think as well as the values they hold.

There are various systems that are closed to thought, perception and feelings with each being affiliated with some biologically defined group. Multiculturalism destroys people’s confidence in their culture by allowing his group to tell him on what to believe. The primary goal of multiculturalism is to change the United States from a society that is culturally assimilated to unassimilated multicultural society that has a broad range of cultures as well as subcultures with each accorded equal status. It is meant to promote quotas instead of competition, allocation of resources rather than earning them as well as a cabinet that looks like American rather than the one has an adequate background of doing the required job.

It does not see the diversity methods used in finding and creating diversity dividing the country (Norton, 2012). Multiculturalism results in a widespread societal tendency towards revenge, hatred, and even belief in the innate superiority of individual group thus leading to a feeling of solidarity as well as self-righteousness. Racism This is the idea that one’s race determines his race. It is also a belief that one's ancestry mainly determines one's beliefs, values, and characters rather than one’s mind judgments. Many Americans are always taught to base their sense of self in their ethnic or racial identity.

There is no reality independent of the ethnicity of a person, no objective facts, and no universal logic rules, according to the critical race theory (Norton, 2012). Racial preference is universal in any diversity movement. Many people do not realize that we cannot cure racism with more racism. Others are always taught to think in racial terms instead of according to individual character and merit, on the other hand, some groups are identified as having special status. This results to warranted resentments and indignation (Teson, 1984).

The purpose of diversity movement is to produce tolerance differences through the eradication of racism. To me, this is a mere pretense. This is because one cannot teach that identity is determined by one’s race ant at the same time expecting people to view each other as individuals. The idea of an individual's identity from his race is depraved. Today people have minds that are competent, efficacious intellects as well as free wills that enable them to judge as individuals (Teson, 1984).

The only way acceptable alternative to racism is individualism. We should recognize each person as a sovereign entity with a power of choice and independent judgment (Steinberg, 2009). Western Culture Is the Superior Many intellectuals today claim that western culture is not any better when compared to other cultures. They also add that there no objective standards that can be used in evaluating the moral demerits or merits of various cultures (Steinberg, 2009). In real life, the western superiority can be demonstrated by appraising cultures on the basis of only befitting standards for judging a culture or society that is the core values of anti-life or life affirming.

Various cultures recognize and honor the nature of man as a ration being who should produce and discern the circumstances required for his flourishing and survival. Such a culture would facilitate the promotion of man’s natural rights, science, productivity as well as the technology. Western culture, which is the prime example of such a culture, promotes high levels of freedom, wealth, health, innovation, comfort, opportunity, technology and life expectancy (Teson, 1984). Western civilization represents the best of a man. It embodies all the values that make the life a man secure such as individualism, freedom, reason as well as the natural rights of a man.

It promotes self-reliance, self-responsibility, and capitalism. This is mainly based on free will and free achievement. The need for republican representative government, and rule of law which is limited; language, literature and arts that depict man as an efficacious in the world. Science and technology, the idea of causality and the rule of logic in a universe that is governed by natural laws that are intelligible to a man (Herskovits, 1972). These values, western civilization values are the values needed by all men cutting across geography, gender and ethnicity.

Conclusion Multiculturalism, Racism, and western culture superiority proves that in real life cultural relativism cannot overcome logic boundaries. Different races have differing cultures. There should be no culture which should be seen as more superior to the other. All individuals should respect one’s culture and race. This would help to bring harmony and peace in the community because cultures of different races and cultres.It cannot also overcome morality sense that is inherent to mankind.

We all know well that some things are not right, but cultural relativists try to tweak their philosophies so as to fit their needs. To declare some actions as mostly wrong and others like the mostly right are nothing but making rules as one goes. Saying that some morals are better than others implies an ultimate standard that are being used in making such judgment. By firmly stating that something is always wrong, is by itself a rejection of relativism (Herskovits, 1972).

References

• Herskovits, M. J. (1972). Cultural relativism; perspectives in cultural pluralism.
• Donnelly, J. (1984). Cultural relativism and universal human rights. Human Rights Quarterly.
• Steinberg, S. R. (2009). Diversity and multiculturalism: A reader. New York: Peter Lang.
• Gutmann, A., & Taylor, C. (1994). Multiculturalism: Examining the politics of recognition. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press.
• Teson, F. R. (1984). International Human Rights and Cultural Relativism. Va. j. Int'l L., 25, 869.
• Norton, D. E. (2012). Multicultural children's literature: Through the eyes of many children. Boston, Mass: Pearson.
• Hill, J. H. (2009). The Everyday Language of White Racism. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
• Sue, D. W. (2003). Overcoming our racism: The journey to liberation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Nelson, C. A., & Nelson, C. A. (2004). Racism, Eh? A critical inter-disciplinary anthology of race and racism in Canada. Concord: Captus Press.
• Day, R. J. F. (2000). Multiculturalism and the history of Canadian diversity. Toronto [u.a.: Univ. of Toronto Press.