Can We Morally Accuse a Culture?

“It’s our culture” is a common rebuttal to criticism of traditions ranging from eating shark fin soup and child beauty pageants to bullfighting, binge drinking, Zwarte Piet, female genital mutilation, ritual child sacrifice, and even attending a Nicki Minaj concert.

But what gives us the right—or not—to judge cultural practices? Is morality something we’re born with, or is it defined by culture? In other words, should we lean toward moral relativism or moral absolutism?

Are We Born Moral? Absolutism vs. Relativism

I see myself as both a relativist and an absolutist. Why? Because research shows humans are born with an innate sense of morality. From early childhood, studies reveal a biological predisposition to:

• Help others achieve goals
• Share resources
• Inform others of useful knowledge

If altruism is universal, why don’t we practice it more? Blaming capitalism, patriarchy, and corporations is tempting, but humans have treated each other poorly long before global systems of power existed. Our biology is a mix of altruism and selfishness. For example:

• Infants show a preference for attractive faces.
• Evolutionary psychology suggests racism may stem from a fear of outsiders carrying diseases.
• At the same time, people are drawn to “averageness” in faces, possibly because genetic diversity signals stronger immunity.

So, we’re born as both shallow egotists and altruistic cooperators—hardly a reliable foundation for absolute morality.

The Limits of Cultural Relativism

Should we instead embrace cultural relativism—the idea that morality is defined by society, culture, and history? Or subjectivism, where morality is entirely individual? Both frameworks struggle to explain why practices like rape, child molestation, or binge-watching The Bachelor are universally condemned.

On the other side, strict moral absolutism often ties morality to religious or godlike truths, which can quickly become a matter of interpretation rather than universality. That’s why relativism and absolutism shouldn’t be seen as opposites—they overlap.

Morality Through Development: Kohlberg and Shweder

Kohlberg’s Stage Theory of Morality attempted to link morality to stages of cognitive development. But the model has been criticized for:

• Using artificial dilemmas
• Sampling bias toward Western societies
• Assuming Western “post-conventional” morality was superior ⁴

This imperialist framing sparked more nuanced approaches, like Richard Shweder’s “Big Three” moral codes:

1. Ethic of Autonomy – Concerns about harm, rights, and justice. (Was someone harmed? Were rights denied? Was it unfair?)
2. Ethic of Community – Obligations to others and preservation of social order. (Did someone show loyalty? Affect the group? Respect elders?)
3. Ethic of Divinity – Sanctity and natural order, often tied to transcendent authority. (Was it disgusting? God-approved? Indecent?)

Individualistic cultures tend toward autonomy; collectivistic ones lean into community and divinity. Still, most people consider all three codes in moral decisions.

When Culture Clash: Harmful Traditions

Even when multiple moral codes point to harm, practices persist. In my article The Men Who Swallow, I described the Sambian tradition of ritualized fellatio among young boys. Outsiders judge it as harmful, disrespectful, and disgusting, but within that culture, it holds different meaning.

So, should outsiders condemn such practices? My answer: yes, but with caution.

Why? Because those within a culture don’t always see alternatives until they learn about them. Globalization allows us to share knowledge, blending cultures in ways that advance food, medicine, art—and morality.

Education as the Path to Universal Morality

Who has the right to challenge cultural practices? I believe:

• Insiders who experience multiple cultures are best positioned to critique harmful traditions.
• Outsiders should avoid moral superiority but can spread information that helps others make informed choices.

Ultimately, education is the best tool to decide what practices to challenge. When people understand more perspectives, they can adjust their culture accordingly.

Examples:

• Norway’s rehabilitation-focused prison system produces better results than death sentences.
• Research-driven therapy acknowledges cultural differences in trauma and healing.
• Cancel culture, when it censors information, risks moral failure by hiding knowledge rather than using it to educate.

Beyond Relativism and Absolutism

To be moral across cultures, we must:

• Stay open-minded through travel, reading, and listening.
• Recognize both our innate drives and cultural influences.
• Use education and research over dogma and censorship.

In short: we shouldn’t blindly condemn cultures, but we must share knowledge so that harmful practices can be reconsidered internally.

So, what do you think? Can we morally accuse a culture—or only educate it?

References

1. Warneken, F., & Tomasello, M. (2009). Varieties of altruism in children and chimpanzees. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(9), 397–402.
2. Quinn, P. C., Kelly, D. J., Lee, K., Pascalis, O., & Slater, A. M. (2008). Preference for attractive faces in human infants. Developmental Science, 11(1), 76–83.
3. Valentine, T., Darling, S., & Donnelly, M. (2004). Why are average faces attractive? Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.
4. Cheung, B. (2019). Lecture 25: Religion, morality, and justice. UBC.

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