Moral Arguments for Cultural Relativism

Abstract

In this article I discuss the ethical theory of cultural relativism. In particular, I refute six arguments for that theory, each of which is ‘moral’ in this sense: it aims to associate a vice (or a negative trait) with nonrelativism or a virtue (or a positive trait) with relativism. Along the way I discuss some empirical research which may seem, but in fact fails, to establish a link between moral relativism and tolerance.