Consequences and Harm of Cultural Pluralism Essay Example

Trade brought people from diverse cultural backgrounds together, resulting in the forced diversity of cultures. Despite the presence of ethnocentrism, people became more tolerant towards other cultures and literacy levels improved, reducing ethnocentrism and enabling trade, communication, and survival (Kitayama and Cohen 60). The Holocaust, occurring between 1938 and 1945, is another stark example of ethnocentrism, as minority groups faced discrimination and six million Jews were subjected to genocide.

The ethnocentrism displayed by the Nazis, who believed their beliefs and cultures were superior, resulted in the extermination of Jews, as well as minority groups such as homosexuals, Poles, and Gypsies (Omohundro 432). Descent, referring to one's family and nationality, plays a crucial role in an individual's identity. It allows them to establish kinship ties with others. The significance of descent lies in the fact that it grants certain privileges, rights, duties, and status based on familial or national connections. Through descent, individuals can trace their lineage to a common ancestor and inherit privileges. Moreover, it brings people together through marriage or birth.

The significance of descent systems in one's life lies in the fact that they vary across different cultures. Descent systems enable individuals to become part of a particular kinship group and foster a sense of self-identity within that group. There are several types of descent systems, namely unilineal, ambilineal, and bilateral kinship systems. Unilineal systems concentrate on tracing descent through either the father or mother, with further subdivisions into patrilineal and matrilineal groups.

The patrilineal and matrilineal systems have distinct approaches in determining kinship. In a patrilineal system, the emphasis is on one's relationship with their father, with children inheriting their father's name and property. Conversely,

in a matrilineal system observed specifically in the Easter Igbo community of Nigeria, the maternal uncle assumes a significant role as a social father and oversees inheritance. In cases of bilateral or bilineal descent systems, immovable inheritance like land and property is allocated to the patrilineage, while movable assets such as livestock are inherited by the matrilineage. This is because the bilineal system encompasses descent from both the mother's side and the father's side.

This practice is prevalent among the Yako community in Nigeria. The ambilineal descent system is a combination of the matrilineal and patrilineal systems, resulting in a stable descent system. This implies that an individual has dual kinship lines and can choose which descent they prefer to belong to.

Furthermore, marriage offers a variety of options regarding lineage, including both the mother and father-in-law's lineage. This flexibility is evident in the ambilineal system, where individuals can choose either side based on which one provides more privileges and benefits. For example, if a man marries a wealthy woman, he may decide to connect his children to her lineage to maintain the family's wealth. The primary importance of all kinship and family descent systems lies in their ability to foster social cohesion within a community ("Types Of Kinship And Descent Systems; Its Advantages And Disadvantages"). In addition, cultural relativism promotes the equality of cultures and beliefs by considering each society equally valuable without asserting any superiority.

Ethical relativism, in contrast to cultural relativism, assesses the moral aspect of an action or practice based on the culture and norms of a specific community or society. Thus, while one society may perceive an action as morally acceptable, a different

society with distinct cultures and norms may label it as immoral. The individual's perception and moral values dictate what is considered right or wrong. Cultural relativism promotes equality among cultures, whereas ethical relativism focuses on each society's interpretation of morality. Consequently, each society possesses the freedom to establish its own regulations without considering the broader society's moral standards. For instance, under ethical relativism, bullfighting can be viewed through various ethical lenses due to its significance in particular cultures.

In cultures, an act can be considered moral or immoral, regardless of the societal context. However, ethics prioritize the greater good over the binary nature of morality. For instance, in a society that practices cultural relativism, if a man's actions have the potential to cause numerous deaths, he will receive a fair trial and may not be immediately executed. On the other hand, ethical relativism might treat such an individual differently based on the society where the crime occurred. For example, if someone's actions can lead to multiple fatalities, it is deemed ethical to sacrifice that person's life in order to save many others who are in danger.

Cultural relativism and ethical relativism both consider the impact of culture on individual actions. Cultural relativism aims to comprehend an individual's behavior by recognizing their cultural influence, while ethical relativism assesses an individual's actions in relation to their cultural interpretation (Kraft). However, embracing the standards and norms of different cultures can be challenging due to the diversity of ethnic groups and their distinct cultures and norms. Ethnocentrism poses a major obstacle to ethical relativism as it requires individuals to conform to the prevailing cultural practices and norms of the majority.

Kraft argues

that the dominant culture's imposition of social and political norms compels the minority to comply in order to avoid being perceived as unethical. Consequently, this impedes any potential for societal transformation and disregards the subjective assessment of diverse cultures. An illustration of this can be observed in democracy, wherein an individual is deemed victorious based on the popular vote by the majority.

The Green Revolution, which took place from the 1930s to the 1960s, was a consequence of technological and research advancements. It led to increased agricultural production in developing countries by enhancing irrigation techniques, seed technology, and fertilizers. This revolution had a significant impact on small-scale farmers and brought about cultural and economic changes for the nation. One noteworthy initiative during this period was the World Bank's Kedah Plain irrigation project, which began in 196.

The project had positive effects on farmers who were able to double their rice production by harvesting twice a year. However, the introduction of technology also brought negative consequences, such as creating an economic divide between poor and wealthy farmers. Additionally, the social dynamics were disrupted as outsiders paid more for land, causing landless farmers to lose their earnings (Richards 563-576). The Green Revolution boosted income for small-scale farmers, but it also resulted in increased expenses.

Higher profits were enjoyed by larger farmers due to the expensive costs associated with fertilizer, machinery, and irrigation. This left small-scale farmers with smaller profit margins. Furthermore, rural small-scale farmers had limited or no access to new technologies, allowing urban farmers to continue increasing profits and widening the economic inequality gap. The introduction of modern technologies also had an impact on traditional knowledge transfer between generations.

However, despite these negative effects, crop genetic improvement resulted in increased income for farmers, reduced unemployment, and easier management of agricultural processes through the use of machinery.

Richards (563-576) states that the Doomsday model was a biotech vault designed for depositing seeds into the bank through various research institutions. This model specifically focused on supporting the seed bank and restricted access to the seeds. As a result, it encouraged mono-cropping and eradicated conventional farming methods, resulting in a decline in biodiversity and ultimately leading to the system's collapse.

The storage of seeds in seed vaults for future use was limited to a few individuals. According to the Logic of Growth model, economic growth is possible even with constant availability of natural resources and despite environmental conditions. This model takes an optimistic view by suggesting that population growth drives economic progress. On the other hand, the Doomsday Model is considered more realistic as it promotes caution in resource utilization to prevent economic collapse (Engdahl).

Work Cited

• Engdahl, F. William. ""Doomsday Seed Vault" In The Arctic". Global Research. N.p., 2016.
• Kitayama, Shinobu and Dov Cohen. Handbook Of Cultural Psychology. 1st ed.

New York: Guilford Press, 2007. Print.

Kraft, Debra. "Cultural Relativism Vs. Ethical Relativism". Our Everyday Life.

N.p., 2016.

<li>Omohundro, John T. Thinking Like An Anthropologist. 1st ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008. Print.</li>

<li>Richards, Donald G. "Contradictions Of The ‘New Green Revolution': A View From South America's Southern Cone".</li>

Globalizations 7.4 (2010): 563-576.

In 1979, a book called "Folkways and Mores" was published in New York

by Schocken. The book discusses the types of kinship and descent systems and their advantages and disadvantages. This information can also be found on the website Information Parlour.

N.p., 2016.