I.

Cultural Relativism

Introduction
Are there universal truth and absolute objective reality? It would seem that such is not
the case because our exposure and knowledge about the different cultural realities tend to
provide us with ample evidences that there are other ways of thinking, believing and manners
of living. This implies that there is not one single existing culture but different cultures
existing side by side. Cultures of different people each having its own origin, practicing its
own codes and standards and having its own traditions are proofs of such co-existence.

Is there such a thing as universal culture? What is evident is cultural diversity. Cultural
relativism is undeniably present and the best people can do of their differences to mutually
respect one another. People coming from different origins and traditions will have to treat each
other as equals and co-exist in mutual respect and understanding. If such is the case, we need to
understand the implication of living our culture in the midst of other cultures.

In this topic, we will elucidate cultural relativism, its weaknesses and criticisms. The
enlightenment we can derive from the discussion might help us develop a critical attitude not
only toward other cultures but also toward our own culture.

Learning Outcomes
1. Define cultural relativism;
2. Analyze the criticisms and limitations of cultural relativism; and
3. Discover the alternative ways of treating our own culture and others’.

Activating Prior Learning

Students may be grouped or individualized in their responses. Define culture in
differentiated tasks /activities. Rubrics answer the question: What is culture through
differentiated activities.

Presentation of Contents
What is cultural relativism?
Nowadays, exchanges with and exposures to various cultural practices are not rare.
Modern technology allows people to travel faster and more conveniently that attract more people
to do just that and consequently experience living in another culture. Technology has made
possible what was unimaginable a few decades ago – information explosion. Information has
been made readily available through the internet connection. In terms of exposure,
communication technology has done more than what is needed and essential as we can be

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connected to access information about different societies and cultures which make us all the
more deeply aware of the various ways of thinking and valuing different from our own. The
contacts people have with others and exposures to different ways of life have significant
consequences in the way they understand others and themselves. On this basis , people easily
conclude that it is acceptable to be different; it is the same with ethics. This means to say that
what is ethically or morally acceptable or unacceptable is dependent on a particular culture.
This manner of considering what is right or wrong based on cultural standard is known as
cultural relativism (Bulaong Jr. et al., 2018).

Culture has now become the sole basis or morality; what is right or wrong is judged
on the basis of culture and its standards or codes. This implies that what is moral or ethical in
one culture may not be necessarily reflected in another. The rightness and wrongness of an
act or decision is entirely a cultural affair. Hence, something that is morally accepted in one
culture may not be in the case of another culture or what is wrong in another might be
acceptable in another. This is cultural relativism. Morality or ethics depends on the
valuations of each specific culture.

If this is the way how morality should be understood, authorities question whether this is
sound. Rachels (2003) asks whether it is alright that each culture makes its own judgment of
what is right or wrong. But what about if cultural practices in one culture allows genocide to take
place? Should we be silent about the genocide committed by the Nazi Germans to the Jews
during the Second World War? Or, should the excision of women in a particular African culture
which is extremely painful with certain irreversible biological and psychological changes in the
life of the African women be allowed to continue without criticizing the practice? Is there not one
right concept of how should things be? What is the answer?

If it would seem that the mother Eskimos of the north did not feel remorse killing
their baby girls and did it as if it were the most natural thing to do when there were too many
girls in the family, it would be the most shocking discovery in the life of an outsider. It is
total disrespect of human life and dignity and absolutely aberrant manner of treatment for the
innocent and helpless beings. However, much to our amazement, what these Eskimo mothers
were doing was exactly the protection the life of the entire family and their clan. Their
natural and physical environment was such that it was too harsh and unfriendly that people
cannot afford to have more liabilities or more mouth to feed as there was almost nothing to
live on. Should everyone be allowed to live, paradoxically; everyone disappears from the
face of the earth. Baby boys were favoured because they were potential hunters when they
grow up but the girls were definitely liabilities in such kind of extremely unfavourable
geographical conditions.

Why Cultural Relativism is Appealing

1. It gives us the freedom to act in the way we want to act. It means that we need not
adjust in a given situation knowing that there is diversity of valuation.
2. Cultural standards give us a basis for judging the rightness or wrongness of our
own action.

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 3. Cultural relativism allows us to
be tolerant of others from other cultures.

Consequences of Cultural Relativism

1. We could no longer say that the customs of other societies are morally inferior to
our own.
2. We could decide the rightness or wrongness of our actions by consulting the
standards of our society.
3. The idea of moral progress is called onto doubt.

Difficulties of Cultural Relativism

Bulaong Jr. et al. (2018) citing James Rachels presents some of the difficulties of
cultural relativism in the following terms:

1. We cannot say that any one moral valuation is the right one?
2. It is no longer possible to render any kind of judgment on the practice of
another society. But what if their practices strongly suggest and call for
criticism. Example, in the case of racism, genocide, etc.
3. It means also that under cultural relativism, we cannot question even our
own culture and the prevailing practices. This means that as if moral
perfection is achieved.
4. Cultural relativism as noted by Bulaong Jr. et al. (2018) can only be
maintained by assuming that there is only a single and fixed culture while
it is increasingly becoming evident that it is difficult to determine what
exactly determines one’s culture.

Why we cannot absolutize Cultural Relativism

1. It is a contradiction in itself. When we insist on cultural relativism, we have made

it absolute, there, it ceases to be.
2. The differences are in our belief system, not in our values. If we look closely at
our values, there are more similarities than differences.
3. Other values tend to be more or less universal, e.g., telling the truth.
4. There are some moral rules that all societies must have in common.

Summary
Cultural relativism is happening. The evidences of cultural diversity are undeniable as
evidenced by the multitude of cultures around the world. People live in many different ways and
that these differences range from being almost similar to being radically different. The purpose of
the study of cultural relativism is not to point out that peoples around the world are different and
as such they will remain different and should be treated differently. And that means also that
other people have nothing to say about others’ ethical standards being different.

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That the only way we can deal with each other is by mutual respect which is respecting the
differences that there are in each culture including the existing moral valuations honoured by
each culture.

Rachels (2003) obviously wants more than simply mutual respect. He believes that
there is something that binds different people better than mere accepting or allowing other
cultural practices without questioning them or that others would do the same. He suggests
that more than mutual respect for the differences he proposes that we should go farther and
recognize that there are more commonalities that bind the people of the world. He believes
that the values behind the practices of different cultures are more important to consider as
they are basically the same.

When he points out that the Callatians practiced the eating of the dead bodies of their
fathers while the Greeks burned them, he actually meant to point that despite the utter
differences in their practices, both were meant to express the same value in quite amazing
differences – that of respect for the dead fathers. If we know more of the values behind our
practices, we can establish the highest form of respect that is based on the inherent similarity
of values found in each of the cultures. Cultural relativism is not the promotion of
antagonism between and among cultures but to seek for the elements that can unite and tie up
harmoniously what seems to be different and separated. This is the best alternative because
deep down the different practices are common universal values. People of different cultures
may have different practices, but remain the same because of the inherent common values
behind and beyond their practices.

II. Is there a Filipino Culture?

Introduction
Filipinos themselves doubt about their proper answer to the question “What is the
Filipino culture?” Writers about the Filipino culture are unanimous in their opinion that this
difficulty originates from the history of the Philippines. The country has been successively
colonized by Spain and by the United States and both brought cultural influences that until
now are practiced by the Filipinos. Filipinos do not find it difficult to identify which practices
are of Spanish influence in the same manner that Filipinos will be able to identify easily
which is a practice that is American. However, the difficulty is to which of these two
influences a Filipino would identify himself or herself more. The confusion is so deep that it
would be difficult for many to say what is the Filipino culture.

Things are so dynamically intertwined that it is difficult to determine what is finally

the Filipino culture or who is a Filipino? However, this dynamic intertwining is a Filipino
ingenuity that makes it in a sense Filipino. Some say it is Spanish-Filipino or Filipino-
American. What matters probably is that it is practiced by a Filipino who identifies himself to
be a Filipino and not otherwise.

Would it be important to delve into the question: Is there a Filipino understanding of

right or wrong? From the point of view of what has been previously discussed about cultural
relativism, it would seem that we have our sense of what is right or wrong, first, from our
cultural point of view. In this succeeding discussion, we analyze cultural and traditional
practices of our own.
 Learning Outcomes
1. Identify common Filipino practices and traditions;
2. Express appreciation to these practices and traditions;
3. Criticize some of the present Filipino traditions and practices.

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 Presentation of Contents

A. Difficulties of Identifying the Filipino culture

First, when we talk about the Filipino culture, we have a difficulty. Filipinos do not
know exactly which of the cultures they will talk about. Why, because there is not a single
Filipino culture. The Filipino culture is a combination or blend of the east and west cultures.
Basically the western influence would include Spanish and American cultures as part of the
colonial past of the Philippines. Asian influences can also be added to the list as there are
Japanese, Indonesian and even Arabic traces in the Philippine culture. Hence, the problem
arises when we want to assert that there is only one Filipino culture. Obviously, it will be a
mistake to insist on the idea. From the point of view alone of the number of languages and
dialects spoken in the entire archipelago, the more or less 170 languages and dialects spoken
of which eight are considered major languages, are signs of cultural diversity in the country.

Second, having been born in a subculture of a major culture raises a problem about to
which culture will someone identify with exactly? What is going to be his or her cultural
identity? The question has also been raised by Bulaong Jr. et al. (2018) in relation to cultural
relativism. Since cultural relativism can only work within the context of a very well defined
and determined culture, it implies the necessity of a single, definite and clear cultural
identity. However, in an increasingly open and globalized world, the notion of cultural
relativism is being put into question. But whether or not cultural relativism is tenable, for the
Filipino in quest for his or her cultural identity, will always have the problem of identifying
with a specific culture.

B. Source of Cultural Identity

Cultural identity may remain evasive because of the Filipino historical and socio-
cultural cross-points, but certain practices do give the Filipino his or her own cultural
identity. Some of the Filipino traditional practices from multi-cultural origin are:
- Asking the elders’ approval before getting married, concern, pagmamano
or “Mano po Culture”. Asking God’s blessing through kissing of hands.
Use of the polite expressions “Po and Opo”, hospitality, adaptability and
resiliency.

Cultural identity for the Filipino is not to be found in the manner that we define what the
Filipino culture is nor in trying to identify ourselves with a specific culture whether Tagalog,
Iloko, Ybanag, Itawes, Cebuano, Bicolano or another, but it is to be found in the practices and
traditions with which we are accustomed to. As Filipinos we are identified with and through how
we identify ourselves with one another. Not even with the color of the skin and the language that
we speak, but in the manner that we live and deal with one another that we are able to identify
who is a Filipino and what is the Filipino culture. This manner of making sense of the Filipino
culture from the point of view of the existing practices and traditions makes the Filipino culture
boundless. Whether American, European or Spanish, if you feel like a Filipino, think like one
and eat with them, for them you are a Filipino and you share in the

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Filipino culture. The Filipino cultural identity is a lived identity. The practices that one
practices will be the measure by which your being a Filipino will be measured and identified.

C. Being critical about our practices

Filipinos should not remain unperturbed about their traditions and practices. It is not
because they are traditions that they are forever true and remain unquestionable. The
significance and meaning of traditions might have changed positively or negatively overtime.

For instance, a very important Filipino tradition, is the one related to strong family
ties. It symbolizes the unity and strong bond in the family. The tradition gives a sense of
support and security for all the members of the family or even for the entire clan. In times of
crisis and difficult moments, one can always rely on this tradition and family members will
not hesitate to rescue someone in trouble. However, the same tradition can be abused by any
member of the family and it may lead to perpetual dependence of a family member. Someone
from the family might have his or her own family, but remains dependent on the parents for
every need like finances, in terms of decision making and for every other need that arises.

Another trait we easily associate to us as Filipinos is that of being religious. The

Filipino reliance on divine providence is extraordinary. It is expressive of the Filipino faith in
the power of the Omnipotent and All powerful God. Our deep sense of religiosity can give us
hope and from which we draw strength and courage and it can redefine our direction and
sense of fulfilment. However, it is sometimes misconstrued to mean that everything will have
to come from God and that God will always intervene on our behalf. We have forgotten that
we have to do our part to make things come true. We tend to forget that God helps those who
help themselves. Faith does not justify laziness, indecisiveness and lack of initiative.
Religiosity cannot be taken also as a substitute for good work.

Summary

We have learned from our exposure to the different cultures that much of what we
have considered uniquely Filipino cultures are in fact shared with other people of other
cultures. We have so often considered, for instance, hospitality as a strongly and uniquely
Filipino trait only to find out that the same attitude is very much alive in others and perhaps
more alive in them. People for instance are always welcome to come at any time of the day
and can dine with the family. Filipinos have no problem at all with that and that is very
Filipino. When your hosts know that you have come from afar they will always offer you
something to eat. That is hospitality for the Filipino.

The whiteman might not entertain you immediately and asks you to wait until he or
she is finished or done with something she is busy about or won’t invite you to dine with him
or her. And we say, the whiteman is not at all hospitable. “We were not entertained
immediately and we were made to wait.” This is the usual reaction that Filipinos have when
not given attention as soon as possible by their hosts.

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 Filipinos have no sense of formality. They are gatecrashers, they may come at
anytime. The whiteman needs to be informed and an appointment is very important for him
or for her. He or she doesn’t want to be caught unaware. However, if you are invited or made
an appointment with the whiteman, you need to consider that very seriously. If you get
invited for a meal at home, you are there for half a day or maybe during the whole day. When
Europeans invite you, they really mean it. They will try to foresee every need to the last
detail to make you most comfortable during the entire duration of your stay. A meal can
mean all the nice words upon arrival that naturally continues with an aperitif with more
stories and continues at table for the “plat de resistance” that goes on and on at least for the
next two or more hours. Next you have the dessert and later the post cafe and another cup of
coffee. That is the whiteman’s hospitality. It is a serious thing which means that when you
are invited, you have to take it seriously as well and must really give time for it and nothing
else. Their hospitality is unbelievable. After you have left you remember the event long after
the invitation. But for Filipinos, you might have encountered so often, but have no idea
exactly why you had to see each other.

“Palabra de honor” or being a person of one word reveals that it is also not only
Filipino but is shared with others. The terms themselves reveal that they are of Spanish
origin. Filipinos have their own version of “Palabra de honor.” We can be proud to note that
in history. It is a known fact that the early Filipinos have always respected their promises to
Chinese traders transacting with them. The Chinese trader goes back to China and comes
back after many months and the Filipino customer waits for his return. No written contracts,
only promises were at stake. But that shows at the same time the Chinese “palabra de honor”
indicating that is not uniquely Filipino. The point is, if certain values are shared by different
nationalities, it is in the manner that these values are practiced where differences are found.

Rachels (2003) explained that Eskimos also practiced hospitality but in the manner
unique to them expressed by offering their wives to their male visitors at night. In the same
manner, the way we practice the same values as Filipinos gives form to them and makes
them unique. There is a uniquely Filipino culture in terms of the practices through which we
express the same values shared with other people of other nationalities.