The Cultural Differences Argument is an argument intended to support Cultural Relativism.

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The question asks about the Cultural Differences Argument (CDA) and whether it is intended to support Cultural Relativism.
First, consider what the Cultural Differences Argument claims: it notes that different cultures have divergent moral codes and beliefs about right and wrong. Proponents argue that this empirical diversity suggests there is no single objective morality, and therefore moral judgments are relative to cultural norms.
Now, examine the claims that could be labeled as the true stance of the CDA. If we accept that cultures differ morally, the argument is commonly presented as supporting Cultural Relativism, which holds that moral judgments are true or false only relative to a given culture's norms. In this sense, the CDA is often taken to bolster the idea that there is no universal moral standard applicable across all cultures, thereby endorsing relativism.
However, multiple important criticisms challenge that reading. One major critique is that descriptive diversity (descriptions of how people actually behave or what they believe) does not logically entail prescriptive relativism (claims about what ought to be considered right or wrong). In other words, just because cultures disagree about morality does not necessarily mean there is no objective morality; it could indicate gaps in knowledge, different information, or differing applications of an underlying moral theory.
Another common objection is that the CDA can be misused to justify harmful practices by appealing to cultural norms, obscuring violations of basic rights. If a society endorses a practice, CDA might be cited to defend it, but critics argue that moral progress requires cross-cultural critique and universal principles in some domains (e.g., human rights).
A further point is that even if there is moral disagreement, some argue this evidence is compatible with a form of moral objectivism that allows for legitimate cross-cultural evaluation rather than full relativism, or that the CDA presupposes a simplistic dichotomy between universalism and relativism without addressing intermediate positions like moral particularism or constructivist theories.
In evaluating the statement, you should weigh the intended purpose of the CDA as a tool to argue for Cultural Relativism against these substantive critiques, which challenge the logical leap from difference to relativism and highlight potential normative implications.
In short, if the task is to judge whether the CDA is designed to support Cultural Relativism, remember that the argument is often invoked for that purpose, but there are strong counterarguments about whether descriptive cultural differences necessarily justify relativism and whether such a conclusion is the only or best interpretation of those differences.

PHIL 220-001 Quiz: Rachels "The Challenge of Cultural Relativism"

The Cultural Differences Argument is an argument intended to support Cultural Relativism.

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