Cultural Relativism

Cultural relativism is the driving force behind cultural anthropology. Cultural relativism helps the students, and anthropologists open their mind to other cultures which may not be what our society will deem the norm. As anthropologists, and students we must strive for cultural relativism, and try to understand traditions and whole cultures. Althought we may never full understand why cultures can have such radical actions, such as genital mutalation, we, as students cannot close our eyes. Opening your eyes and trying to grasp why such traditions could be performed is one step closer to expanding your understanding of societies.
Our ethical norms change over time, back 100 years ago, things were very much different, entculturation takes place and our norms change, as does our culture along with it. As some societies change, new norms are created, as if there are overpopulated ares, possible sacrifices of human beings may come normal in that culture.
Expanding our knowledge of cultures has its limits, as some would call murder, other cultures may call sacrifices. In my case, that is where I’d call the line. Life is a sacred thing, taking it should never be performed. From my background and culture, I don’t see and have not opened my eyes to sacrificing lives to causes a just thing to do. Surely, if the sacrificed was fully aware of what was going to happen, then it would be different, but in cases as some of the Aztecs, sacrificing people’s lives, even people who were un-voluntarily sacrificed, would be far past that imaginary line in my mind. Because there is no standard right and wrong, we rely on our cultures to determine those standards, cultural relativism demonstrates that truth is relative to each specific culture. We all must find our imaginary line in our mind, of where the societies should have limits, and where we should respect the society; even if we should always respect their practices.

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