Miner’s article describes the Nacirema culture as one that pays special attention to economy‚ wealth‚ and body-focused rituals performed to keep oneself looking aesthetically pleasing‚ not unlike our own American culture. Found between Canada and Mexico‚ the people of the Nacirema tribe perform these rituals to keep death and disease at bay‚ while also improving the looks and social life of the worshipper. Common practices mentioned in the article include washing themselves with purified water‚ visiting
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Who are the Nacirema and how shall they be defined? The dictionary defines an Anthropologist as a person that studies human beings and their ancestors through time and space and in relation to physical character‚ environmental and social relations‚ and culture (Webster 2011). I am not claiming to be an Anthropologist however‚ from my viewpoint‚ I am not sure if I am capable of grasping my mind around the concept that “the body is ugly and that its natural tendency is to debility and disease” explained
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Cultural Relativism and Global Values The Median That Works Universal values and human rights are abstractions that are considered by many as little more than a romantic concept. Those who would like to believe in a set of universal values find that they either can not find enough evidence for‚ or that there is too much evidence against such values. Cultural relativism‚ a relatively new idea in political science that has its origins in anthropology‚ is the major evidence and argument against
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belong too. By definition‚ relativism is “a view that ethical truths depend on the individuals and groups holding them.” (Relativism - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary‚ n.d.). In this paper‚ we will see how moral relativism as well as other forms to compare various cultures and groups. One form of ethical relativism is cultural ethical relativism. To understand moral relativism‚ we must first understand what cultural ethical relativism is. This form “holds that ethical
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article‚ the author explores the major meta-ethical theory of Cultural Relativism. According to it‚ Cultural Relativism states that all morality is relative to culture‚ that the truth of ethical claims is relative to an individual or group’s perspective. Cultural Relativism holds that an action is morally right or morally wrong because of the beliefs and values of the culture in which the action takes place. Therefore cultural relativism denies the possibility of any objective foundation for
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What is cultural relativism‚ and how does the vision of ethics associated with it diverge from the traditional ethical theories? Cultural relativism dismisses the idea that there is one final moral code to abide by; one moral code is also not superior to another. (Brusseau‚ pg.154) One major way this differs from traditional ethics is it directs one to conform to the society around them‚ abandoning whatever their own personal ethics are. The approach of "When in Rome‚ do as the Romans do" does best
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“Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” by Horace Miner‚ the author’s purpose is revealed through judgemental and magical word choice. The author’s purpose is shown through his judgmental word choice. For example‚ to describe going to the dentist he uses the words‚ “ritual torture”‚ “augers‚ awls‚ probes and prods” and “gouge.” All of the words that Horace Miner used to describe going to the dentist sound negative and foul. The words make people judge the Nacirema for doing these ill sounding “rituals”‚ even
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the Naciremas? Why or why not? After reading Horace Miner’s Body Ritual Among the Nacirema I cannot say that I would want to be part of the tribe. A huge reason would be that I could never go from my own Christian faith to the religious practices of the Nacirema. My second reason for not wanting to be part of the tribe is that I could never be subjected to the horrific medical practices and “magical potions” used on every citizen in the tribe. One of the fundamental beliefs of the Nacirema is that
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between Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism The world today consists of an incalculable number of societies. Each society varies significantly in the different elements of culture. Culture is one’s designed way of living based on erudite customs‚ knowledge‚ material items‚ and behavior. Within every society today lives an ethnocentric attitude. The belief that ones own culture is superior to that of another’s. However‚ it is important to develop a sense of cultural relativism in today’s society‚
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enedict (Cultural Relativism) a. The concept of Cultural Relativism states‚ “it is not each person‚ but each person’s culture that is the standard by which actions are to be measured”(Wilkens‚ 29). I believe Ruth Benedict would base how she acts in this situation off of what an individual might justify morally. People have multiple views‚ which vary concerning what someone should do in this type of situation. Some people may consider not turning in the ticket as wrong‚ while others may think it is
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