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Student Name
Ms. Abel
World Literature
May 4 2012
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Common Ground
According to John Locke, the father of Liberalism, “Man... hath by nature a power....to
preserve…his life, liberty, and estate - against the injuries and attempts of other men.” People
have the right to maintain their own life and freedoms in that life. Cultural Relativism is a theory
that denounces judgment and calls for an open mind towards all cultures. Rachels argues that the
“fundamental mistake in the Cultural Differences argument is that it attempts to derive a
substantive conclusion about a subject from the mere fact that people disagree about it.” The
problem is that there is no one “conclusion” for a subject. People cannot just briefly summarize a
disagreement without carefully examining both sides. Since there are different arguments for a
subject, it cannot lead to only one conclusion with who is right and who is wrong. In the Ibo
society in Africa, twins are abandoned to fend for themselves in the “evil forest” since their birth
is unnatural and against nature’s will. Even though the European society frowns upon this
practice, a cultural relativist would argue that the people are allowed to continue these practices
without the judgment of others. In Things Fall Apart, white men are moving their governments
and bringing change and the main character Okonkwo, who is against their coming, takes his
own life after he tries unsuccessfully to stop them. Friel presents the coming of the British to a
small Irish town in Translations and their goal to standardize everything into the English system.
Although Cultural Relativism is admirable in theory, realistically, it is faulty because progress in
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society will be prohibited, which means society's conditions will never improve. Successful
societies cannot survive without the right to life and liberty.
In Cultural Relativism, an individual in society is allowed to carry out any actions, as
long as it is socially acceptable. In the Charter of United Nations, it states that everyone has “the
right to life.” Many agree that this means people are allowed to live their life healthily and to the
fullest and others cannot prohibit it in any way. Ikemefuna, the boy who was paid as tribute
when a man kills a girl from the village of Umuofia, has been summoned: “The Oracle of the
Hills and the Caves has pronounced it. They will take him outside Umuofia as is the custom, and
kill him there” (Achebe 57). The Oracle guides the people of Umuofia in big decisions and when
she “pronounced” this decision, none of the Ibo people question it. “They will take him,” shows
the people’s obedience and acceptance of the fact that they have been commanded to kill an
innocent boy who has become almost like a son to Okonkwo. A cultural relativist would argue
that since the Ibo society has accepted the command to kill Ikemefuna, it would then be socially
acceptable for them to continue through. However, the people do not inform Ikemefuna of this.
Ikemefuna was sent there against his will but still behaves properly in Umuofia. He has the right
as an individual to be able to thrive. But, in Umuofia, his right has been taken away since they
secretly decide to take his life anyways. Female genital mutilation is a procedure in Africa that
involves partial or total removal of the outer female genitals. “Female genital mutilation (FGM)
has no health benefits, and it harms…in many ways. It involves removing and damaging healthy
and normal female genital tissue, and it interferes with natural functions of girls’ and womens’
bodies” (World Health Organization). In the article, it clearly states that FGM has “no health
benefits,” showing that there is no advantage to having this surgery. It harms the female
population because it “damages healthy and normal” body parts, preventing them from living
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their life healthily and free of danger. In many societies, this practice is used in order to prevent
women from having premarital sex so it is a way for the men in society to control the women. It
does not help society in any way and only degrades the women by causing unnecessary pain.
When Captain Lancey in Translations finds out that Lieutenant Yolland has gone missing, he
immediately goes after the villagers, gathering information through threats, “Commencing
twenty-four hours from now we will shoot all livestock in Ballybeg…commencing forty-eight
hours from now we will embark on a series of evictions and leveling of every abode” (80). The
repetition of the word “commencing” conveys the seriousness of Lancey’s tone in that the clock
is ticking from that moment. The people of Ballybeg have the right to their own life, which
includes the right to the resources needed to survive. However, Lancey plans to “shoot all
livestock in Ballybeg,” which will take away the people’s source of food and labor and prohibit
them from thriving. Not only do people need the right to live their life, they need to be able to
live it freely.
The majority of people, according to Cultural Relativism, can force others in the society
to social norms. The right to liberty means that one has the right to act, believe, and express
oneself, free from the pressure of others to conform. “FGM is often considered a necessary part
of raising a girl properly, and a way to prepare her for adulthood and marriage.” Because the
majority of people in that society see FGM as “necessary”, everyone else will want to follow
their lead and to fit in. But that takes away their right to choose their own paths in life, causing
them to be followers that just want to blend in with everyone else. Ultimately, their freedom to
be an individual and choose what they want to do is removed. In China, policies are set in place
by the government to control the population from exponential growth. “[China] has enforced one
of the world’s strictest family planning policies…Critics say the policy is coercive and has led to
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numerous abuses, including forced abortions, which continue in some areas.” China “enforces”
this rule, showing how the people do not want to follow it but the government demands
compliance. This policy is “coercive” since government officials use threats to force obedience
onto the people. Although the Chinese do not want to follow the harsh policy, they are still
forced to, demonstrating that the government is willing to eliminate their right to liberty or their
choice of doing whatever they want. “Afghan women are still afraid to abandon their burqas. ‘I
feel naked without my burqa,’ said Kabul woman Roqia, dragging large shopping bags and
gasping in the heat. ‘I cannot take it off. I would feel that everyone was looking at me.’” Roqia is
“dragging” the bags and “gasping in the heat,” which shows her obvious discomfort at having to
cover up, even in the hottest weathers. However, she still conforms to the social behavior of
women in Afghan society, who all wear burqas to cover up themselves. The women are “afraid,”
showing that wearing one is not their choice and that they are conforming in order to avoid harm.
She covers herself from head to toe because otherwise she would feel that “everyone” was
looking at her, showing how without conforming to social norms, she would feel left out and
bringing unnecessary attention to herself. In Afghan culture, the burqa started as a way to control
and oppress women from achieving their full potential. When the Taliban, an Islam militant
group, ruled in Afghanistan, women were forced to wear the burqa or face beatings. It forces
women to hide behind a veil, physically cutting her off from the outside world.
Cultural Relativism is faulty because successful societies cannot survive since people
need the right to be able to thrive healthily and the right to decide their own path in life. The
evidence provided above spans across many time periods and countries, showing how the issue
of Cultural Relativism is not effective as universal rights of life and liberty are needed. Parts of
Cultural Relativism are reasonable and can be put into practice without pushing it to extremes.
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People can be educated to have an open mind towards all cultures. Instead of forcing themselves
to try to not judge others, they can at least try to listen to and acknowledge the argument
presented by the other side. Learning the opposing side’s argument can help people to
understand why others think that way and allow them to work on common ground to improve
society for the people. As John Locke said, people have to be able to “preserve his life [and]
liberty.”
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Works Cited
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor, 1994. Print.
Friel, Brian. Translations. London: Faber & Faber, 1981. Print.
Rachels, James, and Stuart Rachels. "The Challenge of Cultural Relativism." The Elements of
Moral Philosophy. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.
Peacewomen. "The Burqa: Prison or Protection." Peacewomen.org. Peacewomen, 5 May 2012.
Web. 2 May 2012. <http://www.peacewomen.org/news/Afghanistan/May05/burqa.html>.
World Health Organization. "Female Genital Mutilation." WHO. World Health Organization,
Feb. 2012. Web. 03 May 2012. <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/>.
Yardley, Jim. "China Sticking With One-Child Policy." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 11
Mar. 2008. Web. 2 May 2012.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/world/asia/11china.html>.