Moral Relativism and the Polygamy

The world is surprising with its cultural diversity and differences. Values, traditions, and customs developed and changed for a long time to find a modern form. Thus, each society can have its own unique characteristics and moral codes. A phenomenon that is considered unacceptable in one culture may be quite common in another one. For example, polygamy is officially allowed in some Muslim countries and one Buddhist, and unacceptable in other societies.

A polygamy is a type of marriage when the spouse may have several official partners of the other sex. It can be presented in the form of polygyny when one man has several wives, or polyandry – several husbands living with a woman. The moral code of a particular society decides what is right and wrong among its population. Thus, nearly sixty world countries allow polygyny, and none polyandry (Zeitzen, 2020). Polygamy is represented in centuries-old traditions based on religion, specific social issues, and other factors.

The culture and traditions of a society are a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. No objective standard exists to consider one societal code better than others. For example, Western traditions of monogamy are dictated by such important for this culture values as loyalty, love, independence, and others. Societies in which polygamy is adopted, in turn, focus on having many babies, protecting women, and providing them with financial stability – only rich men can allow several wives.

Each culture focuses on what is important to its people. Thus, it can be noted that the moral code of any society is one among many and should not impose its values. Culture is a specific, complex human phenomenon, in which human nature, human activity, material and social reality, and other factors, mix and interact in a wide variety of combinations (April 2018). All this in different forms is reflected and captured in human culture as a unique experience.

There is no universal truth in ethics held for all people at all times. It cannot exist because of human nature, through which people perceive everything relatively and subjectively. This ability allows them to be flexible, adapt, and develop. Acceptance of cultural diversity opens up new opportunities for personal self-realization. Societies are constantly changing – things that were considered unacceptable several decades ago become possible and vice versa. People learn to overcome prejudice against people with different skin colors, orientations, or religions. For these reasons, there will always be a place for other traditions and customs.

It is mere arrogance for people to try to judge the conduct of other people. It cannot be said that one nation has a better culture and tradition than the other as nobody can say that one person is better than the other because of skin color. All people and societies are unique and live in different circumstances. It is impossible to be a cultural person, degrading neighbors. In order for peace to prevail between various peoples, everyone must respect the customs, traditions, faith, and culture of others.

Thus, although polygamy was condemned in most countries of the world, it could not be considered unacceptable. The appearance and existence of this phenomenon are dictated by the values and social requirements of a particular culture. It helped them to develop their unique society and take care of each other. Condemning this issue is imposing a subjective opinion on another culture. Instead, people need to be open to everything new and develop intercultural communications.

References

April, W. (ed.). (2018). Culture and identity. IntechOpen.

Zeitzen, M. K. (2020). Polygamy: A cross-cultural analysis. Taylor & Francis.