Comparing_Cultures

Comparing Cultures Chapter Summaries – Ruggiero’s Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues Chapter 5 – Comparing Cultures - Ruggiero’s main purpose in this chapter was to examine and destroy the theory of cultural relativism, therefore opening up one’s ability to judge what others do outside their own culture. - The basic flaw in cultural relativism exists because there are so many divisions in human race and culture, to be able to classify them in any one group. - There are divisions in race, religion, sex, skin color, class level, education, location, and sexual orientation just to name a few of a seemingly endless list. - To try to solely identify oneself as American would be variable, because there are as Ruggiero lists a variety of this category; i.e. African American, Irish American, Italian American, Asian American (p.45) - The multiculturism movement is highlighted as affecting “scholarly discussion of cultures and subcultures.” (p.45) - Inside the topic, Differences Among Cultures, Ruggiero highlights the ideas that different cultures have different ideals of what is right and wrong. Some of the instances in which this is demonstrated are: monogamy and polygamy, sex before marriage, and homicide. - Attention is also given to different tribes in which they share beliefs about life which are contrary to standard western belief. cultures, culture, american, ruggiero, different, cultural, because, should, share, relativism, means, life, given, chapter, believe, beliefs, wrong, within, whatever, vary, values, time, three, similarities, sex, race, place, p55, p45, own, outside, out, one’s