Resumen

SANCHEZ DURA, Nicolás. The Pertinence of Cultural Relativism. Desacatos [online]. 2013, n.41, pp.29-48. ISSN 2448-5144.

This essay has three purposes.The first one is to examine the relationships between ethnocentrism and relativism. Ethnocentrism is defined as a doctrine that takes three main forms: an imposed universalism, exoticism, and exacerbated, narcissistic particularism. Cultural relativism is seen as an attitude that proposes that moral concepts and values are incommensurable and should be viewed as valid only in the context of particular world's views.The second purpose is to show that ethnocentrism turns to be an unfounded and morally disastrous doctrine.The third purpose is to suggest that cultural relativism in its moderate version should be a moral guide for social anthropologists because it can teach them tolerance and skepticism to the standards of their own cultures.

Palabras llave : ethnocentrism; relativism; incommensurability; cultures; world's view.

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