re not permitted to have paying jobs; and generally they were under the most absolute control of their husbands (Rachel p.455)." However, in the modern age, women have been viewed as equal to men (at least many people hold this position). According to the relativist stance, this cannot be seen as moral progress, since the relativist does not allow for it.This third consequence of relativism also leads to an even worse state: stagnation. Because the relativist does not leave room for moral advance, there would be no reason to promote moral change in a given culture. Consider the previously mentioned example of women in the American society. In the last few years, women have taken on more productive roles and have exercised their well-deserved freedom (by joining the workforce, owning their own homes, and rising to positions in politics, etc.). The relativist would be inclined to say that this is simply a change in cultural policies that have no moral merit whatsoever. Moreover, he would state that, since the new policy on women's rights does not indicate any progress per-say, then it does not differ (morally) from the original oppressive state of affairs. In effect, the cultural relativist allows for a society to remain in a state of paralysis concerning moral practices.Thus far, the logical and practical consequences of relativism have been discussed; at this point it is necessary to draw attention to its negligible benefits. The first of these is the idea that cultural relativism promotes tolerance of differing cultures. Granted, this statement has some truth to it. For instance, the relativist would claim that a society that believed in placing jewelry with the dead so that they may have these possessions in the afterlife is to be accepted by another culture. In this instance, the relativist belief seems fairly harmless; however, let the reader consider a more serious case. Suppose that a society believed in genocide as a normal cultu...
