Understanding Cultural Dynamics

Dynamics of Culture

• Cross-cultural relationships involve people from different cultures acknowledging, respecting, and understanding each other.
• People from varying backgrounds can reveal new possibilities to each other.
• Traditional practices may limit opportunity
• Cultural relativism recognizes that cultures have distinct beliefs, values, and practices developed in unique contexts.
• Cultures differ, with none inherently superior.
• Cultural relativism is the ability to understand a culture on its own terms.
• Cultural norms and values gain meaning from their specific social context.
• There's no universal standard of good or evil, thus right and wrong are decided individually in each society.
• Ethical opinions are subject to individual perspectives.
• Within cultural relativism, unfamiliar cultural practices such as eating insects, genocide, or genital cutting are understood.
• Cultural relativism looks at an individual's habits, morals and values in relation to their cultural context.
• It avoids judging other cultures with ethnocentric assumptions.
• All cultures are deemed worthy and of equal value.
• Diversity, including conflicting moral beliefs, isn't judged as good or bad.
• Cultures are viewed as equally legitimate expressions of human existence.
• Ethical relativism is tied to cultural relativism, seeing truth as variable.
• Right and wrong are determined by the individual or society.
• There is no objective standard applying to all cultures and no one can judge another.
• Cultural relativism doesn't see anything as inherently good or wrong with cultural expression.
• Ancient Mayan self-mutilation and human sacrifice are culturally unique rather than morally wrong.
• Marriage practices of Muslims should not be judged from the culture of the Roman Catholics.

Advantages of Cultural Relativism

• Promotes cooperation by recognizing the value of diverse perspectives.
• Embracing differences creates a potential for a stronger society.
• Allows the individual to define their moral code, creating equality and their own definition of success.
• Cultural relativism leads to the pursuit of personal interests without restrictions.
• Each person focuses on their strengths.
• Promotes respect, as people come from different cultures with different ideas.
• Individual's definition is promoted over group definition, contributing to social evolution and respect.
• Allows each person to pursue life through their perspective, learning from personal experiences.
• Encourages the preservation of human cultures like that of Native and First Nations.
• Cultural relativism eliminates judgement - you are only judged by yourself
• Judgement goes away allowing for own standards, inside their own "individualistic bubble".
• Moral codes of a culture can be defined and people expected to follow.
• Focus remains on a culture's customs versus imposing a morality.
• Allows people to create personal moral codes.
• The determination of “right” or “wrong” is based on societal standards.
• Cultural relativism allows actions that conform to the cultural moral code.
• Cultural conditioning stops allowing for more individual attitudes, thoughts and beliefs

Disadvantages of Cultural Relativism

• Can be fueled by personal bias.
• Societies naturally prefer certain types of people and will segregate themselves into certain circles, without a broader perspective.
• Has the potential to create chaos.
• It creates a Darwinian society - creating an environment where the strongest survive.
• Perfection of humanity is flawed.
• People are not perfect and judgements are still made.
• Promotes a lack of diversity.
• It allows slavery and unequal rights
• Draws people apart.
• Causes natural inclination for self-preservation
• Limits moral.
• Moral progress is more inclusionary
• It will hold people back.
• Limits humanity's progress.
• The ability to judge one standard from another is removed, so “right” is lost.
• Turns perceptions into truth.
• Bias is validated and becomes righteous.
• Cultural relativism is not implemented large scale.
• Creates individualized cultures with the capacity for embracing the traditions that humanity has developed over the millennia.

Universal Values

• Human basics are a universally designed, coherent philosophy applying to all.
• It comprises commonly recognized and verified knowledge and leads to a universal philosophy.
• Focuses on understanding human nature and values.
• Offers information on human qualities and universal values across various societal issues.
• Human basic knowledge creates understanding and agreement between people and cultures.
• Human beings have spiritual capacities.
• Virtues and values give individuals and societies moral accountability which is the basis of human integrity.
• There is always the need to translate the ideals into action.
• Civilization has been in constant advancement with enlightenment and darkness, resulting in world peace.
• A value is a quality that can be used to designate moral characteristics.
• Universal means it belongs to the universe.
• Universal values are formed by behavioral standards that are necessary to live in peaceful and harmonious societies.
• Schwartz defined values as conceptions of the desirable that influence people's choices.
• Empirical research identified 56 specific universal values and 10 types of universal values.

Schwartz's Values

• Power: Control over people and resources.
• Achievement: Demonstrating social standards.
• Hedonism: Pleasure or sensuous gratification.
• Stimulation: Experiencing excitement and novelty.
• Self-Direction: Independent thought and action.
• Universalism: Understanding, appreciation, and protection.
• Benevolence: Preservation and enhancement of the welfare.
• Tradition: Respect, commitment, to traditional ideas.
• Conformity: Avoiding actions that upset others.
• Security: Safety, harmony, and stability.

UN Charter on Universal Values

• Enshrines respect for human rights, social justice, human dignity, and equal rights.
• Provides values to which suppliers of goods and services to the UN are expected to adhere.
• Global unity is considered essential for international relations in the 21st century.
• Essential values include freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature, and shared responsibility.
• Millennium Development Goals target extreme poverty and make rights such as access to education, health care, and clean water a reality.

Basic Universal Human Values

• Make it possible for every human to realize core values of life, love and happiness.
• Eternal happiness is the ultimate values.
• Peace is an essential condition for freedom and happiness.
• Freedom and happiness require the absence of of fight, threat or hostility
• Love the experience of oneness
• Connects to openess to beautry of nature.
• Freedom is unrestricted and independent of social pressure.
• Freedom is from stress, worry, anxiety etc.
• Politicians and all other people in power are responsible for freedom.
• Safety creates survival instinct and without, people are burdened with emotional fear, helplessness and anxiety.
• Intelligence includes self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, and more
• Problems of the humanity highlight the need for global unity and value of human intelligence.
• Trust fosters the need for human aspect and friendliness with connectedess and sympathy.
• Integrity, veracity, and truly social behavior allow for respect.

Equality

• Equality - is equality before law and equal protection of law.
• The legal member of the legal association can legitimately claim that all the citizens must be treated equally by law and no discrimination is to be allowed
• No discrimination and there's a right to claim equal liberties.
• The state offers justice.
• Equality leads to jstice.
• Justice - It is the proper administration of the law with fair and equitable treatment.
• Essential for upholding values of freedom, peace, life, love, and happiness.
• Human Dignity comes from Latin word worthiness
• Human dignity should be protected on all members of society.
• Comes from Gods likeness.
• Inalienable and from God.
• Leads to morality.